The Woodsman

Year: 2004 Rating: R Overall Evaluation: 7.0 Significance Suppositions Story Style 9.0 / 10 6.0 / 10 6.0 / 10 5.0 / 10 Click HERE for evaluation criteria.

Style

This film was rated R for sexuality, disturbing behavior and language. There are two naked breast shots and lots of underwear bedroom scenes. Although the nudity was not at all necessary, the sexual scenes were a large part of the mood of the film and I did not consider them gratuitous. Language was typical real life stuff. Nothing terribly bad.

Story

The story concerns a pedophile recently released from twelve years in prison for child molestation (young girls from 9-14 years of age). He is out on parole and trying to achieve a normal life (which he defines as being able to be near a girl and not have sexual thoughts about them) as well as restore relations with his younger (adult) sister. He continues looking at girls, though, even discovering a homosexual predator stalking the local elementary school boys. Throughout the film he is being hounded by a zealous detective as well as his boss's secretary who wishes to expose him. Along the way he begins a relationship with a woman who herself was molested as a child (by her brothers) and must deal with the ramifications of telling her about his past.

[SPOILER WARNING!]

He eventually cracks under the pressure from work, the detective, his brother in law, and the girls he continuously sees on his bus ride to and from work. He follows a young girl into a park and begins seducing her. He discovers through his conversation with her that her father touches her inappropriately and begins to realize how horrible it is to be a child in that position. He tells her to go (even though she was willing) and in a fit of rage nearly kills the homosexual stalker when he runs into him on his way home.

Suppositions

The worldview of this film is rather dark - no spiritual overtones are present at all. It serves as a good lesson in what a life devoid of God might be like. It does not paint a pretty picture of pedophilia, neither does it excuse it as a product of society or some disease. This balanced approach is welcome - we are not meant to excuse either the man, his actions, or his feelings. At the same time though, we see his struggle and can empathize at some level. The fact that he is fighting so hard is both realistic and appreciated. What is not realistic (at least I hope so) is the fact that four of the main characters are involved in molestation to one degree or another (some victims, some predators). While this is necessary for the film it is difficult to believe. Further, his lack of action concerning the homosexual predator are difficult to square with what he seems to know throughout the film as being wrong.

Significance

It would be easy to simply see the message of the film as a simple morality tale against the evils of child molestation. But even in a world as sinful as ours this would hardly be necessary (even hardened prisoners draw a moral line at hurting children). The main character's revelation is not simply that his desires are wrong - he demonstrates that knowledge from the beginning of the film until the end. The significance of his actions at the end show that now, not only does he give intellectual assent to the fact of his problem, but he begins to see why it is so wrong - what it does to kids. The fact that he, in his own words, "never hurt any of them . . . ever," is simply not true. Once this realization dawns on him and he sees molestation through a child's eyes he becomes the true hero.