> REVIEW
_____________________________________________________
The Woman (2011)
Hell hath no fury…
_____________________________________________________
By Samuel Barnett | September 2011
DIRECTOR: Lucky McKee
WRITER(S): Lucky McKee / Jack Ketchum
The Woman is director’s Lucky McKee’s most recent cinematic offering, following Red (2008) and The Woods (2006). When shown at the Sundance festival this year the film was met with hostility from members of the audience due to the content of the film and the main theme within the narrative (see YouTube for more).
The Woman follows a seemingly normal American suburban family until the father Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers) stumbles across a feral woman in the nearby woods. He decides to tie her up in the family basement with the intention of civilising her. As the father’s dark side begins to appear, deep seated family secrets slip out into the Cleek home.
The film’s narrative develops slowly. The first two acts focus upon the construction of the deeply unsettling and unpleasant premise, whereas the final act naturally turns into a bloodbath. Written by McKee and author of the original work Jack Ketchum, the script is intentionally controversial and provocative. It makes no overarching point about morality, nor does it handle any of the domestic issues with a degree of sensitivity so prepare to be sickened.
The script is genuinely laborious and painful for the most part (until the predictable ending). The film is wrapped in pondering pretensions, which is infuriating when the film has nothing to say and simply comes out looking hollow and pointless.
Modern horror directors have an obsession with pushing the boundaries of what can be shown on screen and the ‘torture porn’ sub-genre has a rapidly growing fan base. Ever since Wes Cravens Last House On The Left (1973), select audiences have loved nothing more than a night out of cinematic escapism consisting of horrific acts of violence, coupled with copious amounts of nudity. Once again Lucky McKee tries to outdo his competition without a pinch of originality or intelligence.
The performances are mundane and unenthusiastic across the board and you can find the majority of the actors on television or bargain basket horror features. The feral girl (Pollyanna McIntosh) does a decent job of capturing the characteristics of a wild animal. The father (Sean Bridges) is at the centre of the tension and horror but the delivery of his lines feel forced and clichéd and ultimately ruins the tension throughout.
The use of music is (intentionally?) inappropriate when contrasted with the subject matter. Indie-pop with a spot of rape and torture anyone? The production is cheap and uninspired, apart from some of the scenes inside the house where darkness shrouds the characters faces. Which is probably about as meaningful as the film gets.
Script…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Flat dialogue and serious pacing issues makes McKee’s script painfully disengaging.
1
Direction………………………………………………………………………………………..
The frame is appropriately covered in a dark tinge, while montages of suffering
and violence combined with indie-pop frustrate throughout. 2
Verdict…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Much like last year’s A Serbian Film, the only purpose The Woman has is to
provoke its audience through violence and controversial themes, but it comes out looking shallow. A missed opportunity for McKee. 1
