After twelve years in prison, the child molester Walter (Kevin Bacon) is released in probation. He starts a new life, getting a small and simple apartment near a school, and a job in a lumberyard. The tormented Walter tries to be and act normal, haunted by his past demons and having sessions with a shrink, while the snoopy gossip colleague Mary-Kay (Eve) investigates his life. He has an affair with another suffered colleague, Vicky (Kyra Sedgwick), while is also stalked by a suspicious detective, Sgt. Lucas (Mos Def).
"The Woodsman" is one of the best dramas I have recently watched, and maybe is the best performance of Kevin Bacon in his long career. The story touches a very unpleasant and practically forbidden theme in Hollywood, the life of a pedophile. Further, the drama is presented from the side of the sex offender, how difficult is to rehabilitate such a person in a "normal" society, facing his own guilty and shame, and the prejudice of the society as a whole. The direction of this independent movie is stunning, and the performances are outstanding. The underrated actress Kyra Sedgwick (Mrs. Kevin Bacon in real life), Mos Def, Eve and the young Hannah Pilkes are amazing with their very real and human interpretations. The metaphoric title, related to the woodsman that saved the little girl in Little Riding Red Hood fairytale, completes this excellent movie with a "golden key". My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "O Lenhador" ("The Woodsman")
"The Woodsman" is one of the best dramas I have recently watched, and maybe is the best performance of Kevin Bacon in his long career. The story touches a very unpleasant and practically forbidden theme in Hollywood, the life of a pedophile. Further, the drama is presented from the side of the sex offender, how difficult is to rehabilitate such a person in a "normal" society, facing his own guilty and shame, and the prejudice of the society as a whole. The direction of this independent movie is stunning, and the performances are outstanding. The underrated actress Kyra Sedgwick (Mrs. Kevin Bacon in real life), Mos Def, Eve and the young Hannah Pilkes are amazing with their very real and human interpretations. The metaphoric title, related to the woodsman that saved the little girl in Little Riding Red Hood fairytale, completes this excellent movie with a "golden key". My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "O Lenhador" ("The Woodsman")