Woodsman, The (USA/87 min.)


directed by: Nicole Kassell
starring: Kevin Bacon; Kyra Sedgwick; Eve; Mos Def

"Walter is given a job at a lumber works where he meets a tough girl named Vickie (Kyra Sedgwick) who he thinks must be a dyke. Vickie befriends him and before long they end up in bed. After sex he says to her 'So you're not a dyke.' 'Not tonight,' she replies. Vickie suspects that Walter is harboring a dark secret. She wants to know what it is. When he asks her what the worst thing she ever did was, Vickie replies 'fucked my best friend's husband.' When she asks the question in return, Walter is honest and tells her that he was sent away for molesting girls age 10-12. Vickie is so revolted she bolts out the door. Ironically, she drives by a giant 'Save the Children' wall mural later in the film.

"Walter's psychiatrist thinks he should keep a journal; Walter is not so keen on documenting his thoughts and does so reluctantly. A local police sergeant (Mos Def) drops by and hounds him needlessly. Sgt. Lucas doesn't know why society lets child molesters out on the street. In his view it means they only have to be caught one more time. Sgt. Lucas talks a lot about The Woodsman in little red riding hood who cuts open the wolf and saves the children. The sergeant appears every bit as much the sociopath as the man on whom he is keeping tabs.

"Should child mol esters get a second chance? According to current thinking, no. We tag them, track them and allow them to be publicly humiliated. We do things to them we would not consider doing to a paroled murderer or rapist. The thought of such a crime creates rage and fear. But what about those convicted of such charges that weren't really guilty in the first place or where convicted because they had the urges but never really acted upon them. There is no such middle ground and certainly no forgiveness.

"Kevin Bacon brilliantly underplays his character which although not innocent of all charges is certainly not the monster many would have him be. Or is he? He begins to notice a pre-teen girl on the bus as he rides home from work. He follows her to a park and strikes up a conversation. This could be exactly why society is so worried. Through his therapy and his contact with the outside world Walter is forced to confront himself and settle the issue of whether he should be allowed back on the streets.

"Kyra Sedgwick is very good as the tough girl who cares more than those sensitive types. Mos Def is absolutely believable and creepy as the sergeant. THE WOODSMAN is this year's MYSTIC RIVER, another tale of damaged goods. In spite of the superb acting THE WOODSMAN is not particularly cinematic. The storytelling is straightforward and is one step beyond filming the play from which it was adapted. As in MONSTER, the acting carries the show. 4 cats"

Peg says: "This is a new film starring Kevin Bacon as a pedophile newly released from prison. Adapted from the stage play by Stephen Fechter, the screenplay was co-written by Fechter and director Nicole Kassell. Also in the cast: David Alan Grier as the owner of a lumberyard who reluctantly hires Walter (Bacon) to work there; Bacon was previously a talented fruniture builder. Kyra Sedgwick plays a co-worker who seduces then befriends Walter; Benjamin Bratt is his brother-in-law and the only apparent person from his past still willing to have contact with him. Mos Def has a sharp turn as his mildy-sadistic parole officer.

"Pedophilia is no easy story topic, and this script shies from both extreme demonization or feel-good moralization. 2001's L.I.E. featured Scottish actor Brian Cox as a gruff but sweet New Yorker who just happened to have a taste for young boys: a powerful and surprisingly non-judgmental film which catapulted the career of first-time actor Paul Franklin Dano (who these days has dropped the middle name and will be starring as Jason Baldwin real-life convicted murderer in the forthcoming fiction film about the West Memphis Three).

"THE WOODSMAN is gorgeously directed and photographed--extremely visual for a stage adaptation. The mise en scene is lushly but subtly executed, and rather than a close-up on a character's face to express the emotion of the moment, we get with a slow-mo scattering of autmn leaves on a playground, or the spectre of a huge yellow schoolbus turning a corner. Shot in cool blues and greys, startling splashes of red amid cool green exteriors make for unforgettable visuals. The 'Little Red Riding Hood' motif hinted at in the title is not only expressed verbally but visually, and predictable though it may seem, the theme is conveyed with artful restraint. The unobtrusive but effective soundtrack also lends power to this intelligent and sure-to-be controversial film.

But the heart of this fine film is Kevin Bacon's performance. As Walter, Bacon unfolds as a man of unexpected integrity, whose anger, sadness, regret and hyper-self-awareness cannot ever be purged, only slowly battered and deflated. Yet his redemption, when it comes, is as plausible as his low-grade despair. From every small hand gesture and stolid facial expression, to his smoldering conflicted inner world, this stunning portrayal from Bacon demonstrates why some cinephiles regard him as one of our finest living film actors. If he is not showered with accolades for this performance, then there is no God." 5 cats

"Kevin Bacon plays Walter, released from prison on parole after 12 years serving time for molesting little girls. He gets a job at a lumber yard, an apartment (across the street from an elementary school) and becomes involved with a co-worker named Vickie (played by real life wife, Kyra Sedgwick). What THE WOOSDMAN does extraordinarily well is let the viewer feel what it must be like to be in Walter’s situation. We are drawn in to his frustration, his anger, his terror, his longing. It’s not an easy ride, and it’s not a ride many of us take in our lives. Kassell and Bacon team to really draw the viewer in and give him or her some real understanding and awareness. THE WOODSMAN also features strong supporting performances by Sedgwick, and surprisingly, from rapper Eve, as Mary Kay, the busybody secretary at the lumber yard.

"Unfortunately, Mos Def flounders a bit as the police officer assigned to keep an eye on Walter, and Benjamin Bratt, as Walter’s estranged sister’s husband, seems just a little too earnest in his role. And as I mentioned before, while I think the stageplay probably worked pretty effectively in its original form, a couple of scenes translated a bit clumsily, particularly a pivotal scene in the park which is incredibly intense and difficult to watch, but through the dialogue, pulled me out of the realism of the rest of the film and dropped me into a performance. And while I thought Hannah Pilkes, the young actress who plays Hannah in that scene, did a remarkable job, the dialogue was just a little too leading.

"Also, this film would have you believe that all men are child molesters. We hear of or neet six male characters in THE WOODSMAN who have sexual relations of some sort with underage children.

"While THE WOODSMAN emerges a pretty mixed-bag for me, it’s still well-worth seeing. 3 ½ cats"