Tarek Shabana The Woodsman I believe is a very important film that opens our eyes and allows us to sympathize with even the most despicable people: pedophiles. The story follows Walter (Kevin Bacon) after his release from a 12 year sentence for child molesting and his struggle to fit in the community again and be "normal." We have no sympathy for his 12 year imprisonment, nor should we, however we do, at times, begin to sympathize with Walter throughout his reentering into the community. But our sympathy is met with a dilemma, brought on by Sgt. Lucas (Yasiin Bay) and Walter's co-worker Mary Kay. Mary realizes that there is something wrong with Walter, so she starts digging and finds out about his history and why he was sent to prison. She feels a morale obligation to notify everyone of this. Now she may have come off as low trash by doing that, but was she wrong to do it? Shouldn't people know this, to be more cautious with their kids around him? Then we have Sgt. Lucas, who is very cynical of and loathes and degrades people like Walter, as do most people, and we can't help but agree, whenever Lucas visits Walter we're always taking his side. But when Walter is alone and we see that shame, that self hate in his eyes, we can see and understand something more. We begin to see the true evil here, it is not the pedophile, it is pedophilia, and Walter is cursed with it. This is true for a lot of forms of evil, it is not the rapper that is the enemy, it is the lust which leads to rape, the greed that leads to corruption, and so on. This in no way excuses the person who carries out these actions, but understanding this helps us view and treat these people in a more human and empathetic manner.

halljohnanthony Without question, this is THE BEST performance by anyone I have ever seen. I think for Mr Bacon to have taken this role was a courageous and brave thing. Such raw subject matter so brilliantly handled.I don't do 'celebrity fandom' but for this film, Kevin and the entire cast have my respect. Bloody well done all!

Scott LeBrun Kevin Bacon is excellent as Walter, an adult who returns to his hometown after a dozen years in prison. Although we don't know it at first, he's a convicted child molester, who's now doing his best to put his disgusting past behind him. He keeps to himself, trying to live his life in peace. A tough co-worker, Vicki (Kyra Sedgwick, a.k.a. Mrs. Kevin Bacon) who herself has a traumatic past, attempts to make a connection with him. One other person who'll give him the time of day is his brother-in-law Carlos (Benjamin Bratt); the main thorn in his side is a detective named Sergeant Lucas (Mos Def) who subscribes to that theory that "a leopard doesn't change his spots".A film like "The Woodsman" is going to be a hard slog for some people, especially if they've dealt with abuse in any way in their lives. They may find intolerable the idea of a story with a sex offender as the main character, particularly a story where even if the main character isn't treated as sympathetic, he's not demonized either. As we can see, Walter's just trying to live his life, for the most part. He's not exactly "cured", unsurprisingly, as we see him following girls and trying to strike up conversation with a solitary youngster, Robin (Hannah Pilkes). Walter, perhaps fatefully, has found an apartment near a playground, and he can recognize the predatory nature of another local character (Kevin Rice). He also seems to recognize something unnatural about Carlos' affection for his own daughter.Director Nicole Kassell scripted with Steven Fechter, upon whose play this was based. She seldom indulges in any sort of visual flourishes, instead giving the material believability and a gritty reality. She gets low key and compelling performances out of her entire cast. Bacon is extremely well supported by Sedgwick, Mos Def, David Alan Grier and Eve as co-workers, and Michael Shannon as a therapist.The reality of who Walter is as a person is never denied, but in the end you feel like he's turning a corner and a sense of hope is created.Eight out of 10.

RolltheClip Paedophilia is a difficult subject for any film maker to cover. It requires a great deal of tact, causing many to simply use them as a plot device or villain whilst avoiding elaborating on them to bypass any disputes on their portrayal. 'The Woodsman' completely disregards any potential controversies and goes for the jugular, placing Kevin Bacon front and centre as the troubled Walter.Upon his release from prison, Walter returns to his home-town to rebuild his life, only to find his past acts aren't forgotten. Ostracised by the vast majority of his family, he is ashamed and leads a quiet existence to avoid drawing any attention, failing when he attracts a co-worker, Vicki (Kyra Sedgwick) which leads to a complicated relationship.Throughout the feature, Bacon is the protagonist, forcing the viewer to see events from his perspective. I can only compliment the cast and crew as they manipulate your mindset to empathise with the criminals troubles despite your own opposition to what he has done. It's an impressive feat which is reinforced by a solid performance, be that as it may I never found myself rooting for him due to his previous act. An interesting point as this reflects on other people within the movie. Regardless of the time that had passed since the crimes, the road to redemption for Walter would be a long and arduous one, with an abundance of distrust along his path to atonement, including a run in with another predator outside his flat. Ignored when contacting police because of his past.Rather than going for a stereotypical depiction of a paedophile the character is given an abundance of personality and you can tell that the lead really made sure his appearance assisted in adding depth to the life he was portraying. He is shown as thin with a darkness around his eyes. Without even mentioning this, it is apparent he has problems with sleeping and eating due to his guilt.Also, whilst he is determined to live a normal lifestyle without the torment and temptation that his demons encourage daily, the attraction is always there to him, which leads to the most disturbing idea that the film presents. The idea that his urges aren't suppressible, that it is a part of him, much like a sexuality. That concept is chilling yet it explains Walters frustration and depression.It was a very audacious move by the film-makers to produce a film showing this perspective, however, its downfalls lie in the pacing and my disbelief that a convicted child molester would be re-homed across from a playground and the ease in which he has a relationship with an adult considering his problems. Surely the intimacy should have felt more forced to portray his attempt to move on from his past? Nonetheless, performances from all are of a high calibre. From the distant Walter, to the watchful Detective Sergeant Lucas (Mos Def) everyone gives a convincing display in each persona.Due to it's content and pacing, it isn't a film I'd recommend yet I applaud how bold the industry were for going ahead with a movie of this ilk. My opinions are completely unchanged on paedophilia, it still sickens me to my core although this film does show a very compelling perspective on how their minds potentially work.