Since the horror torture genre exploded in 2005 and 2006 with Saw and Hostel, the vast area separating how we perceive sexuality and violence has been narrowed by the intentional association of the two. One moment a woman will be having sex, and the next she’ll be strapped to a chair with a chainsaw taking off her finger. Such a combination raises questions as to what a filmmaker meant to do by triggering arousal in rapid succession with horror-inspired adrenaline (a proud tradition in the horror genre). Connecting violence with arousal is a questionable goal, but at least it’s better than outright misogyny, which is the route Lucky McKee’s The Woman takes without a second thought. What The Woman has to offer should and will disturb you, but the question is does it serve a purpose?
The Cleeks live secluded on their rural farm, far from the reach of anyone who might notice the extreme measures imposed by the patriarch, Chris (Sean Bridgers). His word is law and he enforces it with harsh words and a stiff hand that he’ll let fly to instill discipline in his wife (Angela Bettis), two daughters (Lauren Ashley Carter, Shyla Molhusen), and his son (Zach Rand). Chris’s family lives in fear of his wrath, and his wife and daughters live as servants to his will who must conform to his submit to his expectations of them as little more than objects to be possessed. His son serves another purpose to Chris, acting as his protégé in misogynistic mentality. Each of the family members has their chance to live up to Chris’s formula when he abducts a feral woman (Pollyanna McIntosh) living in the wild, brings her home, and chains her up in a cellar to be subjected to his social experimentation. For the women in Chris’s life, the Woman represents their own roles within the household: captors in mind and spirit, each in different phases of what Chris wants them to be.
Unless depicting the absolute degradation of a human being is a worthwhile artistic endeavor in your mind, then little can be said in defense of The Woman’s themes and plot. The actors however have a little bit more to offer in how completely they sign themselves over to this story. The Woman portrays incredibly cruel acts of both a physical and mental nature, but what makes it truly interesting is the relationships between the characters and how the well-documented psychological effects of domestic abuse manifest in the family members. As Chris’s project continues in the cellar, his family reacts to the raw emotion emanating from the Woman, and, in the case of the son, they devolve into exactly what Chris has trained them to be.
DVD Bonus Features
The extras in the film can’t live up to the film’s standard of intensity, but the production featurette does a little to better clarify McKee’s intentions in making the film. After that, deleted scenes and a short film called “Mi Burro” round out the disc.
"The Woman" is on sale January 24, 2012 and is rated R. Crime, Drama, Horror. Directed by Lucky McKee. Written by Lucky McKee, Jack Ketchum. Starring Angela Bettis, Pollyanna McIntosh, Sean Bridgers, Zach Rand, Lauren Ashley Carter.
