The Woodsman

As always, the great Kevin Bacon gives such an impressive performance that his character of the paedophile Walter evoked not only rejection, but also a need to empathise with his feelings and, surprisingly, a certain participation in his uneasy integration into society. But I guess it only works like that in the movies. In real life, if I found myself face to face with a real paedophile, I would probably behave like most of the people who condemn Walter, sort of along the lines of a statement that wasn't in the movie, but was tangible: "O.K., kid, you're coming back from prison, you want to start a new life, but I don't trust you, and I don't want to trust you, and nothing is going to change that in the future." This, of course, taking into account the fact that paedophilia is a hard-to-treat deviation (practically incurable without medication or castration) and the recidivism rate, quite obvious in the film, is high. The intelligently written script and low-key cinematography allows the actors to shine, which I love, and once again I have to reiterate that Kevin Bacon was an acting titan here, at least for those 80 minutes. (17.11.2005)

To look at the socially very hot topic pedophilia through the camera's viewfinder without shunning or condemning anyone involved is almost impossible. Director Nicole Kassell firmly sticks to the original foundation of the film, which lies in the theatrical play, by keeping the whole thing unfolding in minimally elaborate exteriors and relying on the actors to do most of the work. Moreover, she managed to maintain an independent, professional, almost documentary-like perspective on the whole topic, in which she did not try to side with either of the parties involved. Surprisingly, the main rivals are not pedophiles and children, but rather a pedophile released from prison after 12 years and the parents who oppose him, who (perhaps rightly, perhaps full of prejudice) do not want to allow the criminal to return to society. However, definitely don't expect a sweet and sentimental fairy tale about a reformed poor man who is mistreated by everyone. Walter, in a breathtaking performance by Kevin Bacon, is perhaps a victim of himself - maybe he truly hates himself, and perhaps he genuinely wants to change for the better, but he is still THE ONE responsible for IT. Yet even the parents are not confined to the boxes of "those who refuse to give someone a chance" and "those who fiercely protect their indirectly endangered children." They are also people for whom the viewer can find understanding in their actions. The biggest problem with the film, however, is the lack of coherence in some of the hastily-covered themes and scenes. In spite of its unhealthily short length of eighty minutes, it is also apparent from many of the shots that director Kassell has purposely stretched them out to achieve at least a minimum runtime. The flashbacks "leading nowhere" or long and explicit sexual scenes (of course, among adults) give more than an overtly staged impression of a concocted mess. There is a persistent feeling that someone didn't want everything that should have been in the film to appear. The producers? The censors? Who knows? Even so, The Woodsman is a film that tells a story about something that hasn't been done before (or maybe it has, but I don't have that much knowledge), and it tells it pretty damn well. (25.06.2005)