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A satisfying take on an unsavory subject

The Woodsman walks a difficult line, not dressing up its main character, a pedophile, but putting a human face on the monster.

Convicted pedophiles never finish paying their debt to society. No crime is more abhorrent, no jail sentence is ever enough. Sexual violation of children is so repulsive to otherwise law-abiding citizens that breaking laws to gain a measure of vengeance would likely be considered heroic.

So the notion of making a movie with any degree of sympathy for a child molester is automatically a turnoff. Then along comes Nicole Kassell's stunning debut, The Woodsman, featuring the best performance of Kevin Bacon's esteemed career, to make viewers consider the scant possibility of redemption. At the same time, Kassell makes it clear that, no matter what, molesters are still monsters incapable, even unworthy, of blending into society again.

It's a tough balancing act and, regardless of any moralist fears, when Kassell leans it's toward the side of revulsion for what Walter (Bacon) did to be imprisoned. Persuading people to invest time and money in The Woodsman begins with detailing what the film isn't, rather than what it is.

There aren't any sensational scenes of child abuse, no graphic descriptions of Walter's offenses. He certainly doesn't get any breaks upon re-entering society, and no teary confessions to provoke sympathy. Walter isn't portrayed as a nice guy who made mistakes, or as garbage to be thrown away. He's still prone to temptation, making his decision to rent an apartment across the street from an elementary school unsettling.

At the conclusion, Walter isn't a better person, but we see a glimmer of goodness that even he doesn't know how to handle. He never forgets, and always regrets.

What an unsavory role, and what a brave actor taking command of it. Bacon never strikes a false note, remaining aloof and ashamed except for scant moments when someone who doesn't know his past dents his antisocial shell.

At times, we may forget that's a famous actor and not a documentary subject onscreen. Because The Woodsman is such a harsh subject, Academy Award voters probably won't nominate Bacon as best actor, but in a fair world he'd win it hands down.

Walter leaves prison and settles into a lumber yard job where he meets Vickie (Kyra Sedgwick), a hard-edged laborer recognizing something attractive in the new guy. They fumble their way into a relationship, and then he reveals why he's damaged goods, possibly because he feels he doesn't deserve happiness. Co-workers discover his past, reacting as most people would.

A detective (Mos Def) hounds Walter, waiting for him to slip up, as many paroled sex offenders do. And outside his window, Walter sees a mysterious man cruising the schoolyard, recognizes what he's after, yet is reluctant to do anything about it.

The Woodsman is based on a stage play by Steven Fechter, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kassell. As such, it's heavier on dialogue than action, and a few tricks Kassell uses to underscore the material - Walter's sports play-by-play of the cruiser's technique in luring children, for example - seem trite in comparison to the theme.

The sexual content is strong, but it's purely between Walter and Vickie, which seems like a way to make Walter appear less threatening to children, conflicting with other scenes. The lack of perspective from a victim or parent is a glaring omission.

But each clumsily designed instance is followed by something brazenly honest, making this one of the most uncomfortably satisfying theater experiences in quite a while.

Kassell succeeds in creating a morality play from an immoral perspective, never doubting that Walter deserves punishment from outside or, more damaging, from within. We don't cheer when Walter commits a worthwhile act, because it's an impulsive response to his own dark side. Instead, we're just relieved that the monster has a human face. In the best, almost impossible cases like this, the crime fades, but the guilt never does.

Grade: A-

Director: Nicole Kassell

Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Mos Def, Benjamin Bratt, David Alan Grier, Eve

Screenplay: Nicole Kassell, Steven Fechter

Rating: R; harsh profanity, adult sexual situations, adult nudity, violence, mature themes of child molestation

Running time: 87 min.