Film: The Woman

Director: Lucky McGee

Distribution: Revolver Entertainment

 

The Woman is not the first Jack Ketchum novel to be transferred to screen and if you have seen The Lost (2006) and the particularly harrowing The Girl Next Door (2007) then you will no doubt be aware they work particularly well in the medium of film. As with other Ketchum novels-turned-films, The Woman offers a disturbing glimpse at the dark side of humanity and director Lucky KcKee (Red, the Woods) has done an excellent job in portraying this tale in a way that is both disturbing and engrossing for the viewer. The basic jist of the movie is this; while out hunting, successful lawyer, Chris Cleek, stumbles upon a woman who has spent her life surviving in the wilderness away from civilisation. He captures her like a wild animal and ties her up in the family outhouse where he attempts to train and “civilise” her.

 

It’s interesting to note that this is loosely regarded as a sequel to Andrew van den Houten’s Offspring (2009), which had previously flown under my radar until hunting it down to watch subsequently to seeing The Woman. This can most certainly be enjoyed as a stand-alone movie, however I found that things did make a lot more sense once I had gone back and seen the earlier film. Offspring shows the roots of the main character, coming from a clan of cave-dwelling cannibalistic savages (think The Hills Have Eyes and you’re on the right track), and while The Woman did make sense by itself I think that background really gives a bit more colour to the story when you see where it is coming from.

 

The Woman could be read as a tale of morality and misogyny. In a way I am reminded of Gregory Wolson’s The Girl Next Door (2007), not only because of that twisted family dynamic but because it takes that idealistic and wholesome American family/man/woman, the pillars of society, and reminds us that the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows. The greatest of evils are often done in the name of all that is good, whether that is mass genocide in the name of religion, or beating someone into submission in the name of socialisation. Many of the scenes shot away from the Cleek home, for example, when the children are shown in the school setting, utilises a brighter palette and the music used during these scenes is equally rather happy-go-lucky perhaps highlighting the families “civilised” appearance to the outside world; the keeping up of appearances. This works in contrast to the majority of scenes, which are shot using very dark contrast that lends a dramatically unsettling vibe and brooding atmosphere as the cracks gradually widen.

 

Chris is never a likeable character, but as the plot hermeneutically unfolds, he becomes even less so. Initially one might assume his aim is to help her out of the goodness of his heart, but along the way it becomes clearer and clearer that his interest lies in wielding power over all the women in his life. He smacks his wife around when she dares to question him, abuses his daughter while giving his son a fatherly pat on the back when he molests the captive…after all, she’s not bad looking and therefore she’s asking for it, right? Chris’ madness seems to grow as he becomes more and more obsessed with controlling the woman. While not a rape-revenge movie, part of me wants to make that comparison; there is a great feminist message underlying this film and a lot that can be drawn from it. On the surface the message is clear; women should be kept in their place. They should look pretty, don’t speak unless spoken to and disciplined if they do not behave in the “civilised” way that is socially acceptable for a woman. It can be seen as a metaphor for societies continued attitude towards women. The real question I ask as he talks of “civilising” this woman, is what is civilised about taking a woman out of her natural habitat and locking her in a dark room against her will? Who is the real savage in this film? What is she doing that is so wrong, other than living in a way that western society doesn’t understand? To quote a well-known recently-re-released cannibal movie; “I wonder who the real cannibals are”.

 

This is not wall-to-wall gore, you may be sad to hear, however it does contain some good scenes where the red stuff flows freely. The most memorable scene is when the woman bites Chris’ finger off and spits out a gobful of blood…which she is scolded for of course because ‘that is not civilised behaviour’. Released on Revolver entertainment, there are a few extras on the disc including a “making of” feature, a short film by the director, some deleted scenes and a music track by the soundtrack artist Sean Spillane. Dark, brutal and disturbing, this is a thought-provoking horror film that will stay with you for a while.