The Woodsman

This is a somewhat slow (never boring) film with several performances of the highest quality. Kyra Sedgwick has amazing scenes, and one in particular flipped around my perception of every other character's motivation. David Alan Grier's performance is, maybe for the first time, not over the top. Hannah Pilkes, in her first film, nearly steals the scene from Kevin Bacon. Eve and Benjamin Bratt both do a good job. Mos Def's lines are either beyond his range or the lines themselves are just too heavy-handed, but Kevin plays off of them in brilliant silence.

Kevin Bacon's performance is Oscar-worthy. In other films, weak effects, poor acting, awful dialog, etc., have pulled me out of the world that the film was attempting to create. Kevin's performance is so good that at one time I found myself pulled out of the experience in awe; while continuing to believe the truth of the character, I was at the same time floored by Kevin's ability to deliver such depth.

Sure, the subject matter allows actors to express strong feeling. Anger is an easy route, as is self-loathing. This script has some of that, but what makes this film great is that primarily it chooses to explore shame and the struggle to be normal. The actors (Bacon, Kira, Pilkes) that are given the opportunity to explore that, they really excel in this film.

saw the tuesday morning showing at Sundance and let me tell you, this is by far the best thing Mr. Bacon has ever done, and should garner him some acting awards this year, though since the subject of the movie deals with a tabboo subject, it might not get picked up by a major studio, and with limited release could keep him out oscar contention. I don't care though, he and his wife pull out incredible performances and if acting awards are giving to great actors, he deserves one for this movie.

I'm not going to go into the plot, basically it's based on a play that I never saw, (obviously living in the Midwest, we rarely get plays). and deals with a convicted pedofile trying to re-adjust to live after 12 years in prison, as well as confronting the demons that put him in jail in the first place. Kyra plays a woman who befriends him, and even after she finds out what his crime was, falls in love with him and assists him with his struggles. of note is a very special performance by a young Hannah Pilkes who plays a young bird watcher who temps Bacon's character and shows him that abuse is everywhere.

The journeyman actor Kevin Bacon blows most of the current Oscar Best Actor competition out of the water with his searing portrayal of a paroled pedophile in The Woodsman. The difficult subject matter may spell box-office suicide for this film, particularly at Christmas time. However, if Newmarket Films is smart, they will market this the same way Monster was promoted for Charlize Theron's performance.

Bacon employs a minimalist acting style and submerges himself into this complex character, on the strength of his physicality alone. Thin and gaunt, hair darkened, eyes dead, and jaw severely set, Bacon doesn't waste a facial muscle or telegraph anything more than necessary. He allows us to get into the character's head piece by piece, and it's not always a pleasant place to be. Bacon is uncompromising in his refusal to make anything about the character trivial and sentimental, and that is the key to his success in making Walter such a vivid, believable man.

The screenplay seems to almost be stripped bare, with little actually revealed through dialogue. However, monologues are used to great effect.

Bacon's mesmerizing performance is enhanced by astute direction from first-timer Nicole Kassell, who also adapted the screenplay with the original playwright, Steven Fechter. The cast is superb-Benjamin Bratt, Kyra Sedgwick, David Alan Grier, the beautiful Eve, and best of all, Mos Def, who steals virtually every scene he is in against Bacon, no small task. for those celebrity-watchers, Madonna's baby's daddy, Carlos Leon (father of Lourdes) is in a few scenes.

This is a must-see for Bacon's work, and for the tasteful, intelligent way the subject matter is handled. In short, Tough material, good solid film.

As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, you can imagine my trepidation and skepticism going into it. I found the film immensely powerful. It asks questions we don't want asked. It doesn't give us the answer - other than making it very clear that he has done disgusting vile things, and that he will likely fight that the rest of his life. As for the rest, it tells us to think. And I don't think we can change the rates of child sexual abuse unless we THINK about the hard stuff, as this films urges us.

Firstly, Bacon's performance was brilliant. He's not a monster, though he has done monstrous things; at times even I, with my history, felt sympathetic towards him. Here's the thing - hardly any child sexual abuser is a "monster." They are humans, not bogeyman. They are your neighbors, your relatives, your coworkers, your friends - very few of them are sociopaths or psychopaths. Many genuinely feel shame over their actions or try to change. They are just as capable of loyal familial love as anyone else, just as capable as being compassionate friends, and yes - capable of being someone else's lover, and able to treat that person well. This film reminds us of that.

Hardly any film has examined the concept of "forgiveness" like The Woodsman does. And it gives us all the freedom in the world to make up own minds, which is actually quite hard for filmmakers to do. There is no right or wrong answer. Only victims get to decide if abusers are forgiven for their crimes. One cannot accept an apology for a crime that did not affect them personally. But societal forgiveness, by way of allowing them back into society, allowing them to live freely, the chance to prove they won't do it again - we all play our own role in that, regardless of how we each feel and act.

The sad truth is that historically child abusers struggle to really change. What made them capable of such a heinous act is still inside them. As exemplified by the park bench scene.

I have a family member who was a pedophile and molested dozens of girls (not me, I was abused by others). He could never change. He was the sort of man that every person should know is a pedophile, every parent should know his tricks and charms and methods and crimes. Maybe some abusers can change. I am of the opinion that we not give them the benefit of the doubt. It's simply not safe to ever let them be around children, and every single person in their neighborhood should know who they are and what they've done. Safety of innocent children MUST come before the comfort and convenience of a sexual predator.

Might we also consider they could change? Might we also consider that they deserve love, as long as it doesn't endanger children? Some of them are haunted by their crimes - such as Bacon's character. But their hauntings mean nothing when compared to the soul-death they inflicted on the most innocent and most helpless humans. Could we say that a lifetime sentence of never being truly "left alone" to live their life is just and right, as their victims will also never get to leave their past behind and will always be scarred because of it? Might this righteously balance the scales?

The Woodsman, if you let it, will challenge you to ask these questions and more. I was on high alert for any positive viewpoint of this charavter from the filmmakers. And other people might feel differently, but as a child sex abuse survivor I say that the movie is asking us to consider the most disgusting and vile parts of society, to see what we can learn - about ourselves, and others - and that this is highly important.

Child sexual abuse can't be changed if we never talk about it, openly. Brutally, honestly address it. This film is a step in the right direction. It is a powerful movie and I recommend it to anyone. Survivors might find it triggering, so they should be wary. But it's a great film and is a very important topic that is well-addressed.

I saw this movie at the Vancouver Film Festival. Not only was it one of the best movies I saw at the fest, but one of the best of the year. I truly believed it to be Bacon's career performance.

The script is solid, full of great dialogue and thick symbolism. The characters all fully developed and never one-sided. Each has their dark side. A commendable effort to Emmy winner, Mos Def, who makes us hate him when he's a good cop, and love him when he's a bad one.

The reason the rating is so low is because it's hard to accept a character that is a child molester. Probably because everyone knows someone or is someone who has been sexually abused. This is a film about redemption and forgiveness--something we can all definitely agree with. It is also a story about humanity--something we all have in common.