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i watched The Woodsman tonight. it got me thinking about all the movies out there about child molestation and how it's not a subject filmmakers seem to want to tackle too often.
so i thought i would write up the list of the films that have skirted the edges or addressed it directly.
The Woodsman ~ Kevin Bacon plays Walter, convicted child molestor on parole trying to cope with reintegration in a society that rightfully doesn’t like child molestors. it’s an interesting study with some squirmy moments and a somewhat ambiguous message about the ability of pedophiles to be reformed, especially given the lack of assistance once they leave the prison system. Walter is a sympathetic character, but it really is hard to put aside what he’s done and you really have to ask yourself how you would respond to someone like this being a part of your life.
The Boys of Saint Vincent’s ~ made for Canadian TV, this is a two-parter. the first part is absolutely harrowing with a seriously skeery predator priest and camera shots that strike me as just short of child pornography themselves (apparently Canadian TV standards are quite liberal). the second part is actually the more interesting as it pits the boys (now grown) against their assailant. If you don’t want to claw your own eyes out by the end of this film, you must be dead. the final confrontation between the (now) ex-priest and the psychiatrist is one of the most chilling scenes (ever) that i can think of in a film and really asks you to reevaluate all the judgments you’ve been making since the start. this is a seriously skeery movie. the performances are awesome.
Judgment ~ made for american TV and "based on a true story" (whatever that means these days), David Strathairn (we love you!) plays Father Frank Aubert, child-molestor extraordinaire. the film mostly focuses on the victim's family and their legal battle with the Church. Aubert as an unpenitent pedophile is an interesting characterization. it sticks in my head, the scene where he is gardening and they absolutely can't reason with him to make him understand that he's done something horrible. "but i love my boys!" he says. ick, shudder. i don't really remember enough about this movie (been a long time since i saw it), so it's probably about as bad as most movie-of-the-week offerings.
Sleepers ~ boy’s reformatory inmates settle a score after a brutal incarceration during which they are repeatedly raped by the guards (Kevin Bacon is just asking to be typecast!). Looks at the long-term effects of abuse. The rapists in this one aren’t center stage, but they are an interesting lot ranging from the unapologetic to the penitent. the victims are all sympathetic even though they’ve largely turned out bad (the narrator being the exception). it’s a well-made film chock full of stars and Robert DeNiro’s Father Carrillo is immensely likable (and a nice positive contrast to the depiction of most hollywood priests). not sure why the film didn’t receive more accolades.
Mystic River ~ poor Dave! this movie asks the question whether post-traumatic shock is sufficient to warrant suspicion against a character who was himself a victim of molestation. if you haven’t seen this film, i won’t spoil it for you, but it is absolutely gut-wrenching. It really challenges you to consider how victims of rape are seen as “damaged goods” and the path that often leads to their perpetrating the cycle of abuse. amazing performances by all.
Bad Education ~ bad filmmaking is more like it. i confess to being a closet Almaldovar fan, but this movie is just bad bad bad. molesting priest conspires with the younger brother of a former victim who is blackmailing him. the story is wretched to begin with, then convoluted with a bunch of mindless twists and turns that add up to nothing. the characters (to the last) are despicable. no redemption here at all.
Happiness ~ what a disgusting film. i hardly have anything to say about it. i read the script before i saw it and admit it was funny on paper in some places, but the actual movie is just a drudge of ick. thankfully the pervert gets what’s coming to him at least. but i seriously don’t understand this film at all.
Bastard out of Carolina ~ i admit i couldn't even finish watching this one. probably has the most overt scene of a child rape i have ever seen in a film (and which caused me to promptly shut it off). gratuitous ~ too much even for me and that's saying a lot. so i have no idea whether this film gets any better or what it was even about ultimately. yuck yuck yuck and yuck.
am i missing any?
if you can think of one, let me know ~ we wouldn't want this list to be incomplete.
: o p
so i thought i would write up the list of the films that have skirted the edges or addressed it directly.
The Woodsman ~ Kevin Bacon plays Walter, convicted child molestor on parole trying to cope with reintegration in a society that rightfully doesn’t like child molestors. it’s an interesting study with some squirmy moments and a somewhat ambiguous message about the ability of pedophiles to be reformed, especially given the lack of assistance once they leave the prison system. Walter is a sympathetic character, but it really is hard to put aside what he’s done and you really have to ask yourself how you would respond to someone like this being a part of your life.
The Boys of Saint Vincent’s ~ made for Canadian TV, this is a two-parter. the first part is absolutely harrowing with a seriously skeery predator priest and camera shots that strike me as just short of child pornography themselves (apparently Canadian TV standards are quite liberal). the second part is actually the more interesting as it pits the boys (now grown) against their assailant. If you don’t want to claw your own eyes out by the end of this film, you must be dead. the final confrontation between the (now) ex-priest and the psychiatrist is one of the most chilling scenes (ever) that i can think of in a film and really asks you to reevaluate all the judgments you’ve been making since the start. this is a seriously skeery movie. the performances are awesome.
Judgment ~ made for american TV and "based on a true story" (whatever that means these days), David Strathairn (we love you!) plays Father Frank Aubert, child-molestor extraordinaire. the film mostly focuses on the victim's family and their legal battle with the Church. Aubert as an unpenitent pedophile is an interesting characterization. it sticks in my head, the scene where he is gardening and they absolutely can't reason with him to make him understand that he's done something horrible. "but i love my boys!" he says. ick, shudder. i don't really remember enough about this movie (been a long time since i saw it), so it's probably about as bad as most movie-of-the-week offerings.
Sleepers ~ boy’s reformatory inmates settle a score after a brutal incarceration during which they are repeatedly raped by the guards (Kevin Bacon is just asking to be typecast!). Looks at the long-term effects of abuse. The rapists in this one aren’t center stage, but they are an interesting lot ranging from the unapologetic to the penitent. the victims are all sympathetic even though they’ve largely turned out bad (the narrator being the exception). it’s a well-made film chock full of stars and Robert DeNiro’s Father Carrillo is immensely likable (and a nice positive contrast to the depiction of most hollywood priests). not sure why the film didn’t receive more accolades.
Mystic River ~ poor Dave! this movie asks the question whether post-traumatic shock is sufficient to warrant suspicion against a character who was himself a victim of molestation. if you haven’t seen this film, i won’t spoil it for you, but it is absolutely gut-wrenching. It really challenges you to consider how victims of rape are seen as “damaged goods” and the path that often leads to their perpetrating the cycle of abuse. amazing performances by all.
Bad Education ~ bad filmmaking is more like it. i confess to being a closet Almaldovar fan, but this movie is just bad bad bad. molesting priest conspires with the younger brother of a former victim who is blackmailing him. the story is wretched to begin with, then convoluted with a bunch of mindless twists and turns that add up to nothing. the characters (to the last) are despicable. no redemption here at all.
Happiness ~ what a disgusting film. i hardly have anything to say about it. i read the script before i saw it and admit it was funny on paper in some places, but the actual movie is just a drudge of ick. thankfully the pervert gets what’s coming to him at least. but i seriously don’t understand this film at all.
Bastard out of Carolina ~ i admit i couldn't even finish watching this one. probably has the most overt scene of a child rape i have ever seen in a film (and which caused me to promptly shut it off). gratuitous ~ too much even for me and that's saying a lot. so i have no idea whether this film gets any better or what it was even about ultimately. yuck yuck yuck and yuck.
am i missing any?
if you can think of one, let me know ~ we wouldn't want this list to be incomplete.
: o p
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Quite simply put, they can't be reformed. The assistance they do receive is a farce. I highly recommend the article "Sex Predators Can't Be Saved" by Andrew Vacchs.
Robert DeNiro’s Father Carrillo is immensely likable ... not sure why the film didn’t receive more accolades.
I think that statement explains itself. From what I've seen of modern Hollywood, anything depicting a priest in a positive light is not going to receive accolades.
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as for Sleepers ~ ach! it seems so true, though i sincerely hope that's not the case!
: o p
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it's actually very well made, but yes, horrifying to watch!
: D