Woodsman (2004)

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Avg Rating: 4.1 / 5. Voted: 39

No one cared thus far. Do you?

AKA: Der Dämon in Mir
Year: 2004
Directed by: Nicole Kassell
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Mos Def, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Shannon, Eve
Country: USA
Language: English (English subtitles)
Runtime: 01:23:31
Genres: Old-Young

Plot – Spoilers:
Walter (Kevin Bacon) is a pedophile just out of jail having served a 12-year sentence for molesting young girls aged 10-12. He keeps his head down and takes a carpentry job at his former workplace. No friends or family will see him except for his brother-in-law who visits, as a kind of payback for Walter’s help years back.

While jailtime appears to have allowed Walter time to reflect, it did nothing, as you would expect, to change his urges. He rents a place overlooking a schoolyard and struggles on several occasions to avoid following teen girls. A sexual relationship with a work colleague Vicki (Kyra Sedgwick) does help in taking his mind off his fight to be normal, but he keeps getting drawn back to the person the world has labeled him – a convicted child molester. This is triggered in several ways – the schoolyard with fellow pedophiles lurking around, a cop (Mos Def) who drops in uninvited every now and then to remind Walter that he knows Walter’s types never change, a spurned and vindictive work colleague (Eve) who takes it upon herself to inform everyone around of his conviction, a therapist (Michael Shannon) who appears to derive a perverse thrill out of hearing Walter talk about his feelings.

Kevin Bacon is quite brilliant in his performance. In fact, Colin Firth called it the greatest performance of the noughties. There are subtle nuances like the way he walks, and dramatic displays in his enthusiasm, excitement and lust when he’s around young girls.

The Woodsman tackles the age old question – can a pedophile ever be reformed. Initially it seems in Walter’s case, No. The odds and the system are so stacked against them, that even someone like Walter who displays a genuine urge to fight his feelings, soon starts to lose the battle. And yet, Vicki who reaffirms to him that she sees something good in him that he himself doesn’t see yet, lends some hope that while Walter will probably never lose his feelings for preteens, he might find a way to control his paraphilia.

Vicki’s character seems a rare one irl. You would think her experiences of being molested by her brothers would make Walter repulsive, yet strangely, her experiences appear to draw him closer to her. It could be that she sees something humane, compassionate and sincere in Walter unlike her brothers. And unlike most people who might never get to or want to interact with a pedophile, having known the harmful pedo type, she is able to instinctively see something different in Walter that prevents her from painting him with the same brush. Or she’s messed up and finds his urges attractive.

Favorite Scenes:
Mos Def as the cop strolling into Walter’s room for the first time:
Things had started to look up a bit in Walter’s life until he confessed to Vicki. The cop encounter is the nadir of this down-phase as he makes it clear to Walter that he is nothing but a piece of shit.

Walter’s final? meeting with Robin (Hannah Pilkes):
This is the litmus test for the audience regarding Walter and his humanity – does he really not want to hurt the girls as he earlier claimed to Vicki, or was it all part of his self-deception to convince himself and us that he is different from the nasty type of pedophiles.

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jcd
jcd
May 5, 2023 3:35 pm

very dark, very deep, very thought provoking, very good.

cunt
cunt
April 2, 2023 10:58 pm

she can sit on my lap any time

I poop on your face
I poop on your face
March 19, 2022 3:10 pm

Great movie! Kevin Bacon was perfect for this role. You know people like this are pieces of shit but Kevin played the role where you actually felt sympathy for him. That’s how you know he’s a good actor.

big drip
big drip
April 25, 2021 1:36 am

Absolutely superb performance by Kevin Bacon, really makes you feel bad for pedophiles…
Thank you for uploading this gem, EUM!

Zed Man
Zed Man
Reply to  big drip
August 8, 2021 10:35 am

Lol, feel bad for pedophiles? You must be joking, Either you are one or you have thought about it. Go and get some electroshock treatment immediately or take a sharp knife to youself. Seriously.

Nicky
Nicky
Reply to  Zed Man
August 8, 2021 7:42 pm

The film In a Glass Cage explores the relationship between a Nazi & his teenage victim. The victim is grown up & he takes advantage of the Nazi’s current state (he’s in an iron lung) to abuse him. It does evoke sympathy for this pos. But that’s just a reaction to the movie. In real life I feel like whatever happens to a pos like that is NOT enough to pay him back for his crimes.

Nicky
Nicky
Reply to  Nicky
August 8, 2021 8:24 pm

BTW I view paedophilia as something innate that can’t be cured. I don’t believe in jail for paedos unless it is for life. They should be euthanized.

Zed Man
Zed Man
Reply to  Nicky
August 9, 2021 1:17 am

# Nicky, agree 100%, here in Australia they give pedos Depo Provera injections to stop their sex drive and shrivel up their genitals, a fitting treatment for scum who cant or wont stop abusing kids. Imo it is the worst crime one can commit and must be stamped out.

clawhammer
clawhammer
Reply to  Zed Man
September 18, 2021 3:35 am

couldn’t have said it better myself.

Joey
Joey
Reply to  Zed Man
June 17, 2022 10:01 pm

tbf murder is worse

MoeFo
MoeFo
Reply to  Joey
July 29, 2023 1:38 am

Nope, Not even close, you fucking RETARD. You kill someone, they don’t have to live a completely TORTURED and DESTROYED existence afterward!! Killing someone is Mercy compared to sexual molestation that almost always is IMPOSSIBLE to “repair” to a sense of normalcy going forward.

Janson
Janson
Reply to  MoeFo
August 1, 2023 11:26 am

That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever read. Taking a life is the worst thing a person can do.

As someone who has survived sex abuse as a child, I’m not going to cry about it all my life, instead I’m just grateful to be alive, not letting those abusive cunts from my past rule over my life. So shut your fucking face you dipshit you know NOTHING.

MoeFo
MoeFo
Reply to  Zed Man
July 29, 2023 1:33 am

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

Matisse Famke
Matisse Famke
March 8, 2021 5:54 am

Admin: Am I mistaken for recollecting the particular scenes where Walter utilizes the psychology of snapping a rubber band on his wrist, the therapeutic science of conditioning? I may be wrong, perhaps it was another film altogether… Thank you.

Matisse Famke
Matisse Famke
Reply to  Admin
March 8, 2021 1:28 pm

Possibly so, cheers x

MoeFo
MoeFo
Reply to  Matisse Famke
July 29, 2023 1:43 am

The disturbed killer in “In The Heat Of The Night” did that. But I also seem to feel that another wingnut did it in another flic.

Matisse Famke
Matisse Famke
March 8, 2021 2:54 am

Kevin Bacon’s performance was compelling and impressive. Thankful to have stumbled across this again after having watched it many years ago. A raw, elaborate film that lingers with an emotional complexity unrivaled.

OJ
OJ
December 31, 2020 5:44 am

Sexual predators or Men with exclusive taste??? Is Tajikistan better place than West for Men??? Who gets to draw the line of boundaries??? How young is too young for girls to sit on someone’s lap??? Who has right to control basic instinct???

ohok
ohok
Reply to  OJ
March 27, 2021 6:19 am

if your “basic instinct” is the urge to abuse a prepubescent child you should contemplate suicide

Salt
Salt
Reply to  OJ
July 4, 2021 9:50 pm

That is not “instinct” that is that you are a human scum who has a sexual desire on little girls. To top it all, you don’t see the obvious wrong with it.

Tajikistan, of course a muslim country. It is not surprising,

Generally I do not agree with suicide, but in your case it would not be bad.

Hatemale
Hatemale
Reply to  OJ
March 16, 2022 9:25 am

What a sad old piece of shit you must be to TRY and justify your sickness!
Rot you pig

Don’tbeadick
Don’tbeadick
Reply to  OJ
June 6, 2023 2:44 am

This is just revolting bro.

MoeFo
MoeFo
Reply to  OJ
July 29, 2023 2:17 am

A polite and decent society, you retarded fucking douchebag caveman. Together, they make laws to live by that enable security of people’s dignity and the individuals RIGHT to NOT be abused by sick, twisted FUCKHEAD ANIMALS like you. Btw, asshole, you know why cavemen used to drag women by the hair of their head? So their cunts wouldn’t get filled up with rocks and shit like that. BUT!! That shit don’t fly anymore since humans evolved about 6,000 years ago. Obviously your chimp brain didn’t evolve so as to understand how people should behave toward one another. So you should kill yourself and hopefully you will be reincarnated as a baboon or a gorilla. But don’t forget to pray before you pull the trigger – that you don’t come back as a female human. And if you do, let’s hope that your daddy is a 285 lb. Muslim who likes most to rape your mouth about seven times every day and finish in your windpipe.

Ralph Bunag
Ralph Bunag
September 8, 2020 9:56 pm

Fantastic movie! I think this movie tells you that someone can change for the better if that person really tries hard enough. Thanks EUM for this film.

Will Gonçalves
Will Gonçalves
May 28, 2020 2:35 pm

Hello, Everyone. I liked this movie very much. Thanks for uploading. Do you have a version without subtittles? Tks!

David
David
October 11, 2019 4:51 am

Excellent movie, I saw this when it was released. Very brave performance from KB, and a superb one too. Kyra Sedgwick is excellent too, as is Mos Def and Michael Shannon, one of my favourite actors.

As always, thanks for upload….