Willa's Flic Pic: The Woodsman * * * *

The Woodsman
2004, Nicole Kassell
Drama
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Walter: [repeated line] When will I be normal?
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Vickie: So, are you gonna tell me your dark secret?
Walter: Why do you wanna know?
Vickie: Don't you think I should know before we have sex?
Walter: [looks at her]
Vickie: I don't like to waste time.

I’ll tell you up front, this movie is not for most people. It deals with a terrible subject. But you know why I recommend movies: they are of high quality and/or they are thought provoking. This is both.


In a brilliant performance, Kevin Bacon plays Walter, a man just released from a twelve-year prison sentence for sexually molesting little girls. The story deals with how Walter starts his new life: finding a place to live and getting a job, making contact with his family again, making friends and meeting women, going to therapy and being watched by the police.

I would have a problem with this film if I felt like its agenda was to make me feel sorry for child molesters. This film doesn’t do that. And it offers no excuses for his behavior. What some may find disturbing, though, is that the film portrays Walter as a very seriously disturbed human being - not a soulless, inhuman monster.

Walter is tortured and tempted. He completely knows himself and hates who he is. He is under no delusions that the general public should accept him. In fact, he tries to remain segregated. He hopes that maybe he can be normal. Those who treat him as if he has no hope make him angry even though he completely agrees with them. Pay attention to the things that Walter fights for. What does this tell you about his conscience, morals and choices?

Obviously, this is rated R for the subject matter. There is also strong language and adult sex with nudity. There are no scenes showing inappropriate physical contact with children, but there is one scene where an adult is talking to a little girl in a park. It is unsettling, nonetheless, and absolutely pivotal to the film.