I would disagree with reviews that describe this movie as misogynistic and pornographic. The movies narrative does not come from a male sexual point of view. On the contrary, while "The Woman" does show a lot of scenes featuring themes such as male degradation and humiliation of women, the ultimate overriding theme of "The Woman" is the power of the primal woman. She is an enigma to the father in this movie, he must sneak up on her in the forest and trap her first, (he would never dare to approach her openly) he attempts to use her in the same way as he would use all other women, and so long as she is literally shackled by his restraints she is controlled and bent to his will. Once she is freed near the end of the film, her rage and power is undeniable. She abhors the weakness of other women, embraces other strong women, and remorselessly eats the hearts of men who do not respect her power. Does this film have its flaws? Certainly. Is it exploitative? Surely, but thats just par for the course. The low-budget filming style lacks a visual mood, and does not effectively elevate the material by adding a darker more visceral tone to what is an undoubtedly dark movie. The grungy/indie soundtrack was a poor choice, and although the ending is interesting it leaves us with some questions. I appreciated the generous gore at the end of the film, however it seemed a little over the top and out of place in a movie that was mostly psychological in its horror. Also, i understand that "the Woman" is a feral human, and would therefore be much stronger than an average woman, but there are a few scenes at the end where she exhibits a supernatural strength. This could be attributed to her being the literal embodiment of primal feminine power, but the films narrative doesn't support that idea. The acting was very well done for something of this budget, The father mother and son especially. The father with his leave it to beaver facade, slowly being peeled away to expose the creepy, violently perverse, slime-ball lurking beneath. The mother, suffering so many years of abuse living in fear of her monstrous husband that she is virtually catatonic. The creepy,creepy dead-eyed son who has learned all of the wrong things from his father. The daughters do a fine job as well, but their performances lacked the more complex nuance of the other 3 main characters. Of course the woman is a force of nature herself, but her role required little acting, mostly just snarling and rage-filled stares. Worth a watch for those who enjoy torture/horror thrillers, but certainly nothing groundbreaking.
Review of The Woman
The Woman
(I) (2011)
Standard low-budget torture/horror with good performances but nothing special.
30 August 2013