The Woodsman

Kevin Bacon playing a child molestor just strikes a chord in me as something I have to see. Ever since my teenage years, I've been a real fan of Mr. Bacon, and I think he currently is one of the better actors out there. Perhaps a bit unsung however, since he takes risks and does great work in movies that are not seen by enough people. Or he works in large ensemble casts and is so subtle and real that he doesn't stick out as a performer, which is a testament to his talent. Bacon puts in another amazing performance in the Woodsman as a recently paroled man who has a passion of getting young girls to sit on his lap. The really harsh scenes are played out in a very intense but non-exploitative way, they have a underbelly of disgust AND sympathy for all parties involved. My one problem with the script was that it was loaded with back stories involving molestation perhaps to drive home the point that situations like this happen all the time? Bacon's character sees another molestor at work across the street from his apartment, tries to molest a girl who is already a victim at the hands of her father, develops a relationship with a woman at work who was molested by all 3 of her older brothers as a child, it's a bit of overkill and not very believable in my opinion. The strong acting work of Kevin and his off screen wife Kyra Sedgwick take this movie from a C to an A. With another set of actors, this movie may have just been odd and creepy like a Todd Solondz flick, instead you have a very detailed and nuanced examination of the act of molestation.