The Woman left me speechless when I walked out of the theater after seeing it. What in the hell do you say about a movie as sadistically jacked up as this one? I thought I Saw the Devil was a pretty disturbing, demented, and violent film, but The Woman was far worse, and I honestly didn't think it could get any worse. The film was just a terrifyingly hard movie to watch, but I would gladly watch it again because it was so damned entertaining! There was a lot of uncomfortable laughter in the theater, laughter to cover up the uncomfortable feelings the audience had while watching the movie. At least that’s what it sounded like to me, and that’s why I was laughing. I couldn't believe what was happening in this film! It was absolutely terrifying.
This hardcore sadistic film has so many different layers to it and takes on some pretty heavy themes such as abuse, legacies, and the hardship of being an adolescent. There are several moments where the movie crosses the line, but that’s one of the reasons why it was so fascinating to watch. I’ve never seen a movie cross the line like this one did.
Plot:
Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers, Deadwood) is a small town court officer living a quiet, seemingly normal life in the heart of Maine with his beloved family. That is, until Chris discovers a feral woman roaming the woods and makes it the family's project to civilise her. But as the family's methods of forcing civility upon the woman become ever more extreme, the perverse bonds uniting them will be cast into violent relief.
Olsen deserves all the acclaim she's receiving for her performance here; she's superb, and she convincingly takes the audience on a journey of shattered memories and paranoia as we start to experience her recovery along with her. The editing of this movie was gimmicky - it cross cuts between Martha's present time living with her sister and her sister's husband, and flashbacks of her cult life - but the transitions between the two time periods are very well done. Normally I'dsee a technique like this as being a bit too contrived, but Durkin's writing and direction make the cross cuts feel like an organic progression.
Academy Award Nominee John Hawkes was phenomenal; like The Ledge's Patrick Wilson has a lock on the creepy suburban archetype, Hawkes has playing the backwoods patriarch down to a science. He also gets to show off a bit of his musical skill set, playing guitar and singing the disquieting "Marcy's Song" in the movie. He's alternatingly charismatic and horrifying, much like Michael Parks' cult leader figure in Kevin Smith's Red State. He gives the girls who come to his commune new names to separate them from their past, and builds their self-confidence by essentially brainwashing them into servitude (sexual and otherwise).
