The Woodsman
After spending 10 years in prison on charges of sexually abusing small children, Walter (Kevin Bacon) is released and works hard to regain some sense of normalcy in his life. He lands a job working in a lumberyard and beings a halting romance with a woman he meets named Vickie (Kyra Sedgwick).
Member Reviews
Second Chances, We all deserve them! - gidget
Not everyone lives a life that is perfect. Not everyone has a closet empty of skeletons.
I really enjoyed this film it was gripping from the opening scene. Although the material was of a sensitive nature, it was handled brilliantly and at no time did you feel that it was disgusting.
Even though the ending was good, it was a little disappointing. I felt that there was no closure on lots of threads. Did the little girl get justice? Did he stay with his new girlfriend? Did he re-offend? But on consideration, I think that these questions were best left unanswered.. as it meant you could decide for yourself.
This movie is definitely worth watching!Hard to Watch, But Worth It - CraftyScreenwriting0
THE WOODSMAN is a deeply felt, deeply disturbing movie about an ex-con child molestor trying to go straight after 12 years of jail. Kevin Bacon is the child molestor. Kyra Sedgewick is the woman who falls in love with him.
It's deeply disturbing because the movie is sympathetic to a guy who's still attracted to underage girls. It's interesting because director Nicole Kassell trusts the viewer to make the most of Bacon and Sedgewick's extremely subtle and underplayed moments on screen, and Kassell and playwright Stephen Fechter's script trusts the viewer to make the most of dialog that says the minimum directly.
Movies this underplayed sometimes bug me; sometimes it like a cop-out. The director doesn't want to tell the audience what to think, but winds up not telling the audience what the story is. But with material this alarming, it's probably wise to avoid anything that's the least bit showy for fear it will be exploitative. I mean, this is a movie where we're wondering all along if Bacon's character -- who we're meant to root for -- is going to backslide and we're going to have to watch him molest another girl.
I found the movie hard to watch, in a good way. I'm not really scared by monster movies. But the protagonist in this story is somewhere between hero and monster in a very human and convincing way; and that is far scarier. Check it out.Not for the faint of heart - Cruel_Intentions
Since making such eighties teenage fodder as Footloose and Tremors, Kevin Bacon has taken the road less traveled to becoming, in my opinion, one of the best character actors to come out of the eighties. Sure he has taken a few steps backward along the way (stinkers like Hollow Man come to mind). But Bacon was exhilarating in Sleepers and Murder in the First.
Last night, I watched The Woodsman, with Bacon and off screen wife Kyra Sedgwick, also starring the under-appreciated Mos Def, Eve and a turnabout straight role for David Allen Grier. The movie, due to Bacon's astounding performance, is stunning.
Bacon humanizes his child molester character to the point that I was nearly sympathetic to his plight toward the end of the movie. Bacon's character's struggle between good and evil is examined through his interactions with different characters in the movie.
As part of his parole, Bacon meets with a therapist on a regular basis. Although there is interaction with another person, Bacon is allowed to examine himself during his counseling sessions. He reflects on his youth and admits his wrongs. Specifically, the scene where the therapist questions him about his youthful relationship with his sister is dynamic. Any actor can cry on command, but as Bacon confronts his past, the tears in his eyes are not just sadness, but you also sense remorse, resentment and rage.
This movie is not for the faint of heart. You won't walk away feeling good about yourself or the world you live in, but if you can truly enjoy the craft of acting and can look past the obvious stigma of the subject matter, the movie is brilliant.
Member Reviews
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Second Chances, We all deserve them! - gidget
Not everyone lives a life that is perfect. Not everyone has a closet empty of skeletons.
I really enjoyed this film it was gripping from the opening scene. Although the material was of a sensitive nature, it was handled brilliantly and at no time did you ...Hard to Watch, But Worth It - CraftyScreenwriting0
THE WOODSMAN is a deeply felt, deeply disturbing movie about an ex-con child molestor trying to go straight after 12 years of jail. Kevin Bacon is the child molestor. Kyra Sedgewick is the woman who falls in love with him.
It's deeply disturbing because ...Not for the faint of heart - Cruel_Intentions
Since making such eighties teenage fodder as Footloose and Tremors, Kevin Bacon has taken the road less traveled to becoming, in my opinion, one of the best character actors to come out of the eighties. Sure he has taken a few steps backward along the way ...