Review: The Woodsman

Kevin Bacon plays a recently released child molester who tries to make it in a harsh world, full of unsympathetic-types, and his own inner demons that are possibly conspiring to work against him. He also starts to suspect that there’s a new paedophile at work outside the school, and he dubs him ‘Candy’ (Candy, unlike Bacon is a homosexual paedophile, which is somewhat troubling and un-PC, but viewers can hopefully get past that questionable addition). He gets a job working for David Alan Grier (who knows his past and is only doing it as a favour to Bacon’s brother-in-law Benjamin Bratt, who is the only family member still speaking to him (Though Bratt is married with a kid and somewhat affable, Bacon at one point intimates that he and Bratt have similar urges in a very effective scene). Kyra Sedgwick, Bacon’s real-life wife has a daring role as Bacon’s forklift-operating co-worker who takes a liking to him, perhaps because she too has a rough past. Eve turns up as a suspicious, nosy, and disgruntled co-worker, Hannah Pilkes is memorable as a nice young girl whom Bacon interacts with for reasons I dare not reveal here. Mos Def has a few good moments as the intimidating and quietly simmering cop continually on Bacon’s arse.

 

Possibly overrated, this 2005 Nicole Kassell indie flick will probably succeed or fail in your eyes dependent upon your thoughts on a film that whilst never endorsing child molestation, at least attempts to create an accurate, 3D picture of a child molester. I personally thought it was pretty good, with no bad performances at all, but extremely contrived plotting knocked it down half a peg. There are so many obstacles and temptations thrown in Bacon’s way (Maybe molesters can relocate near a kindergarten, but certain high profile cases in Australia alone tell me that it is unlikely, and certainly unlikely to be a permanent arrangement), It just didn’t ring true to me, the deck was too heavily stacked against him. I also found that the nursery rhyme symbolism (look at the title for starters) took me out of the otherwise grim story.

 

You should see this film anyway (if you have a strong stomach that is), because Bacon is extraordinarily brave playing a character, not just a one-dimensional, depraved predator. Personally I’m glad films like this and “Monster” exist, though I understand some may not want to delve too deeply into the mind and life of someone so depraved. Bacon’s character committed a monstrous act, sure, but he was given a sentence, like it or not, and served it. Why should he be subjected to much torment and vilification in the outside world? Because he’s a ‘monster’ who deserved life in prison or the death penalty? He likely did deserve more severe punishment (I’m against the death penalty, though. So maybe life in prison without possibility of parole), but he was given what he was given. That’s what rehabilitation is all about, though some might not feel jail is supposed to involve rehab so much as punishment. I don’t subscribe to that theory entirely. Isn’t just a tad too easy to label these murderers or paedophiles as merely ‘monsters’? I think it cheapens their sick acts to put such a mythological-sounding label on such people. No matter what you think, it’ll at least get you thinking. The contrived but well-intentioned screenplay is by Kassell (in an extraordinary directorial debut as well) and Steven Fechter, whose play served as the basis of this feature film.

 

Rating: B-