The Woodsman
is a
riveting and perfectly balanced character study about a very
shocking and delicate subject with a lead character struggling to
mend his ways and control the urges and tendencies that have
naturally developed through the course of his life.
At the end of a
12-year prison stint, Walter (Kevin Bacon) finds himself back in
society trying to hold down a lousy job at a lumberyard. He is
haunted by his past and struggles to understand himself and how to
continue living a normal life. He sees a therapist often who
unsuccessfully tries to get Walter to dig deeper and confront his
problem. His problem is that he was sent to prison for pedophilia, he
used to molest young girls. In an ironic twist of fate, his new
apartment is set only 300 feet away from a grade school. Walter tries
not to notice or look at any of the young girls; he immediately goes
somewhere else the minute he feels like he is in a compromising
situation.
Walter has a local
cop (Mos Def) keeping an extremely watchful eye on his daily
activities and is the first to let him know that not a soul would miss
him if he were to just throw him out of his apartment window.
Walter’s brother-in-law (Benjamin Bratt) is the only part of his
family, or his past for that matter, that will even talk to him. They
occasionally grab a beer and try to avoid discussing Walter’s dark
past. Walter soon meets a woman, Vickie (Kyra Sedgwick), at the
lumberyard who takes a liking to him. Vickie is a tough, levelheaded
woman who also has a dark past. The two strike up an intense
relationship without Vickie’s knowledge of Walter’s sordid past.
Walter knows what
he has done is deeply wrong and he is bent on never repeating it, but
he may or may not make it. Every day is a struggle and he must put
his trust in someone in order to get through it all.
CRITIQUE
The Woodsman is a very
humane, gutsy, and realistic film that never tries to evoke sympathy
for Walter nor presenting him as just a monster. The film focuses
more on Walter’s inner conflict, his knowledge of what he’s done and
his immense struggle to control and understand his inner desires while
trying to make a life for himself.
The minute you
start feeling sorry for Walter because he has no more friends or
family or because the people at his work are giving him an extremely
hard time, the film wakes you up with a scene of Walter struggling
against those inner demons and you are instantly reminded that he is a
pedophile. He’s someone you’d consider a monster. It’s this balanced
and realistic tone that makes it such a challenging and outstanding
film.
This is a film that
has a true vision and the director Nicole Kassell does an absolutely
wonderful job. She is a recent film school grad who shows so much
promise here I’m sure she’ll become a prominent director in the next
decade. Kassell handles the material with intelligence, grace, and a
delicate touch that frames the terrific performances from the cast in
a brilliantly rational and spot on fashion. The Woodsman feels
true and honest, it never tries to make you feel a certain way,
instead it asks the viewer to answer their own questions about the
subject and think about these delicate and important social issues.
Kassell not only directs but also had a hand in writing this
remarkable and difficult script. The dialogue is grounded in reality
and it’s obvious that much research went into it.
But the film
wouldn’t work if the lead performance wasn’t anything short of Oscar
worthy and Kevin Bacon delivers his best work to date (which is
really, really saying something). Bacon is so strong and subtle here;
it is simply ridiculous that he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar. I’m
sure it was the subject matter that turned off voters but Bacon takes
such a huge gamble and succeeds so well you feel nothing but
admiration for him after seeing the film. Bacon is perfectly in tune
with the tone of the film. He never goes in one direction too much,
he’ll seem like a perfectly nice guy one minute, then a haunted soul
the next, and then hints at the monster beneath which feels almost
shocking in spots. The supporting cast is also terrific. Sedgwick
(Bacon’s real wife) has a great chemistry with Bacon (as you would
suspect) and manages to make you feel like these two have never met
before (which is unexpected and remarkable). Their courtship is
realistic and honest, and that is a testament to their great
performances. Mos Def is surprisingly effective as the soulful,
interesting cop. He is definitely one to watch. Benjamin Bratt gives
another great supporting turn as Walter’s brother-in-law who wants to
stay in touch but struggles to avoid the delicate subject. Bratt is
in need of a great lead role; he has the skills and charisma to take
it to the next level. Eve is also strong in a very small role that
shows she has some dramatic chops.
THE VIDEO
The transfer is
clear and crisp (the exterior shots look great, it was shot in Philly
and gets it right) and the colors are vibrant and lucid. It is a
terrifically balanced and exceptional video transfer.
THE AUDIO
The audio is
presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and it is outstandingly clear; the
balances are perfect, the surround is active, and the dialogue is
crisp. There were no noticeable audio problems.
THE EXTRAS
Commentary with
Director Nicole Kassell – This is a very informative and interesting commentary
track from a new and refreshing talent. Kassell is a very passionate
and fascinating director who effectively takes you through the whole
production (from the early stages of conceiving the script to the
difficulties of casting to the actual filming). This is a great
commentary track.
Deleted and
Extended Scenes – There are 3
scenes here, two of them are very much off tone and it is obvious why
they were cut. One involves a different approach on the most powerful
scene in the film that feels way off character; the cut in the film is
just perfect. The other is just an extended scene showing Walter and
Vickie discussing moving in together that also feels unnecessary and a
bit off the tone of the film. But the other scene included here is
one I was baffled by why it was cut. The scene has Vickie finally
asking Walter why he did it and Walter gives a brief observance of
what he had done and why. This is a great scene that I would have
liked to hear the director’s commentary on to understand why it was
cut.
Getting It Made
– This is just filler, an extra which claims to be a documentary on
the making of the film. This is really just a very short conversation
with the producer Lee Daniels on his own struggles trying to get this
film made. He is the producer who produced Monster’s Ball and
he is a very arrogant, strange guy who barely even acknowledges the
great work his director did or the just phenomenal performances of the
cast. He just talks about himself for the most part.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Woodsman
is a great, challenging film touching on a very delicate subject that
is executed with intelligence, sensitivity and grace from top to
bottom. At its core is a truly magnificent performance from one of
the best working actors alive that is surrounded by top-notch talent
both in front of and behind the camera.
