|
THE WOODSMAN Send This Review to a Friend
This could turn out to be one of those landmark films that break new ground in dealing with social issues. For example, recall Fritz Lang’s “M,” which dealt sympathetically with a child murderer as a sick individual not merely a monster. Or recall films that broke other taboos by dealing with racism, homosexuality, alcoholism and drug addiction. “The Woodsman” is a brave, bold drama that portrays a pedophile who is struggling to change his life after release from prison.
Kevin Bacon gives one of the year’s best performances as Walter, who has served a 12-year-sentence. He is bottled up, trying to suppress the instincts that have made him an enemy of society. He gets a job in a lumberyard, but the threat of exposure of his past is always there, and he is being watched and visited by a detective (Mos Def), who is just waiting to catch him molesting a child again.
Walter’s sister is disgusted by him, but one outside strength comes from a new friend, Vickie (Kyra Sedgwick), who has faith in him. But at work he runs into jealousy and spitefulness, which in turn serves as a pressure against his determination to stay out of trouble.
Dramatically, much comes down to a harrowing scene in which Walter befriends a troubled child in a park. The situation is touch and go, as Walter gets closer and closer to seducing the little girl. Whatever his intent, just sitting and talking with this child is a very strong scene for an audience to watch, and director Nicole Kassell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Steve Fechter based on Fechter’s play “The Woodsman,” handles the incident with truthful intensity. Bacon does the same with his acting.
By keeping the film honest and low-key, director Kassell gets under the skin and doesn’t flinch from depicting Walter’s difficulties in coming to grips with the desires he is determined to squelch. Can he succeed? A Newmarket Films release.
|