review by Ronan Doyle
The Woman 2011
Watched Apr 28, 2012
Ronan Doyle’s review:
Kicking off with an amateur hunter’s chance encounter with a feral woman, Lucky McKee’s latest horror seems for a moment to be gearing toward good old-fashioned schlock, but quickly regresses into the realms of self-effacing pretence. With an indescribably ill-judged penchant for upbeat indie riffs playing out over rape scenes, this offers a prime candidate for the worst soundtrack I have ever heard. Neither the performances nor the script offer anything of a greater calibre, and things rapidly descend into cinematically redundant and morally repugnant crap. Its defenders will insist that McKee has here constructed a powerful feminist parable, but while the concept itself bears an astute political sensibility, any seriousness whatsoever gets buried beneath layers of tasteless drivel and tactless gall. More concerned with attempting to shock than produce an incisive and meaningful viewing experience, this is no more than a festering mess of nasty nonsense.
Have been mildly intrigued by this. Seem to have heard a few good things about it, but I'm not so sure anymore.
There's a bizarre amount of praise for it. I concede that it bears some good intentions, but intentions is all they are: once it gets the chance it just breaks into lowest-common-denominator gore and leaves behind anything interesting it intended to say.
Might have to watch it just to form my own opinion. Although it seems you wouldn't recommend that.
Is it at least an easy watch? I mean, put it on any time, or is it too dark for that?
I didn't hate it so much that I'd insist anyone spare themselves. It is a little interesting, for a while at least. I can respect how somebody could find something to like in it, even if I disagree completely.
There's some material that should be gritty and difficult to watch, but as I saw it it was so badly handled that it lost any potential edge. Unlikely to shake you up or anything like that.
Right then, I'll probably give it a go someday.