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The Woodsman
A film review by Taryn
A. Harris
After serving 12 years in prison
for molesting young girls, Walter (Kevin Bacon) returns to his
hometown and attempts a new start.
Walter has a small apartment
across the street from an elementary school and a job at a lumberyard
and his only friend is his brother-in-law Carlos (Benjamin Bratt).
For the most part Walter keeps
to himself and lives a quiet, lonely existence until he meets
fellow lumberyard worker Vickie (Kyra Sedgwick).
The two quickly become intimate
and Vickie (she's almost as damaged as he is) wants to know more
about him. She questions him and he counters with, "What's
the worst thing you've ever done?"
Although his boss (David Alan
Grier) at the lumberyard believes in second chances (Walter worked
for his father), others aren't so generous like Mary Kay, played
by Eve and another worker played by Carlos Leon and their hostility
forces Walter to quit his job.
A condition of his parole is
unexpected visits from Sgt. Lucas (Mos Def) and weekly visits
with a therapist (Michael Shannon) and both are a source of frustration
for Walter. Sgt. Lucas is verbally abusive and hostile and the
therapist doesn't have the answer to Walter's most pressing question,
"When will I be normal?"
Mos Def does a wonderful job
portraying a cop who clearly despises Walter and those like him.
He wonders why "freaks" like him are allowed back
into society and lets him know that he's being watched very carefully.
The therapist asks Walter to
keep a journal and in it he writes about the man he's been watching.
A man he suspects is a pedophile. The man's actions both trouble
him and anger him.
When Walter befriends a young
girl named Robin (Hannah Pilkes) in a neighborhood park, we can't
help but fear for her, but the unexpected happens.
Throughout the film we watch
Walter struggle with past demons and present life. The Woodsman
is an exploration of shame, conflict and a quest for normalcy.
While Walter is never romanticized or excused, it's a challenge
not to feel sympathetic towards him.
Kevin Bacon gives a compelling
performance and does an amazing job of conveying depth and feeling
with minimal dialogue.
The subject matter is disturbing
and unsettling, but the film (directed by Nicole Kasell) is rife
with symbolism and terrific performances and I highly recommend
it.
Read Taryn Harris's new blog
http://randomqueries.blogspot.com
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