The Woman

The Woman
Directed by Lucky McKee
USA 2011

PLOT

During a routine hunting trip, wealthy lawyer Chris Cleek finds and captures a mysterious woman living in a primitive, wild state. Once he brings her home, he chains her up and tries to “civilize” her, despite his family’s disapproval. Soon, the unfortunate wild woman will discover that the ruthless man’s educational process involves violent and brutal methods.

CONSIDERATIONS

McKee appears out of nowhere, with a handful of titles behind him that are not exactly unforgettable, and presents his film The Woman, forcibly positioned as the central episode of a trilogy (comprising the prequel Offspring and the sequel Darlin), although it could easily be considered a standalone film. The visual power and message it conveys dwarfs the other two episodes.

This is pure horror, drawing heavily from the genre’s vast pool and displaying many nuances: revenge, torture, psychological horror, social horror, splatter, and cannibalism. But what is most surprising is how, thanks to brilliant writing, Lucky McKee directs the film with perfect pacing. Much credit also goes to the incredible performances from the entire cast:
Pollyanna McIntosh is simply perfect as the mysterious woman, Sean Bridgers is fantastic as the family’s patriarch/master, and Angela Bettis excels in her role as the wife/mother, entirely victimized by her husband.

The movie’s primary theme is a strong social critique of the hypocrisy and misogyny of the American bourgeoisie, with its false moralism meant to conceal all kinds of atrocities. The woman’s brutal and savage instincts contrast with the equally brutal but hidden nature of the seemingly perfect American businessman, with his model family and unsuspected darkness.

Even in the “lighter” moments, like when he washes the woman or teaches his son to molest her, the man’s wickedness and his constant smug smirks still manage to evoke disgust and intolerance.

Slowly, the director reveals the cards of this dark story, dragging the viewer into a spiral of unprecedented violence that culminates in a total explosion of blood and brutality in the finale. Not that the rest of the film holds back: rapes, violence, lies, torture, incest, murders, dismemberment, and cannibalism are the main ingredients that season a superb screenplay supported by a morbid, deeply dark cinematography, delivering Caravaggesque shots of remarkable quality, enhancing a flawless direction.

The Woman is undoubtedly one of the most important horror titles of the 21st century. A savage social commentary that violently tears away the benevolent mask of the American aristocracy, too often painted as a model but frequently hiding disturbing skeletons in the closet.
This is an extreme film, at times difficult to tolerate, starting slowly and gradually raising the stakes of horror—first psychological, then physical, then familial, and finally all-encompassing.

The film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime and Chili, and for free on YouTube dubbed in Italian.

PANDEMONIUM MOMENT

The moment when Chris, in the middle of the night and unable to sleep, goes to the chained woman and rapes her while his wife weeps in bed (but says or does nothing) and his son watches through a hole in the wall.