29 Aug 2006

The Woodsman

Director: Nicole Kassell

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Mos Def, Benjamin Bratt

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2004 Special Mention for Excellence in Filmmaking, National Board of Review Satyajit Ray Award, London Film Festival 2004 Jury Special Prize, Deauville Film Festival 2004

Screening: 2005-03-01

One usually associates Kevin Bacon with cheesy B-grade films like
Hollow Man (2000) and Wild Things (1998). But
in the excellent film The Woodsman, Kevin will quietly
break your heart with his beautiful portrayal of an ex-paedophile
who is trying to lead a normal life.


Without showy emotions and overacting, Kevin gently reveals the
humanity of a man who finds it so hard to control his unusual sexual
urges.


Indeed, while most of us queers don't condone paedophilia (because
it involves not two consenting adults, but an adult and a non-consenting
minor), we at least know what it's like to have physical urges that
are not readily accepted by mainstream society.


Writer-director Nicole Kassell handles the delicate subject matter
of paedophilia very well, making this a brave and powerful film
that you may never forget. Don't miss it.