The Woman

R

Released Oct 14, 2011

1h 42m

Horror

List

73%

51 Reviews

Tomatometer

55%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A lawyer (Sean Bridgers) puts his family in jeopardy when he captures the last member (Pollyanna McIntosh) of a violent clan and tries to forcibly tame her.

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Critics Consensus

Strange, audacious, and aggressive, The Woman is an uneven horror flick that game viewers with a wildly bloody finale.

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Anne-Laure M

I'm still not sure whether I like it or not, but it definitely made an impression on me. It's disconcerting to see such an accurate analysis of the bonds between women from a male director. Without any word, they understand each other thanks to the very intense still shots of their gazes, a very interesting approach. They move from fear to the curiosity of meeting a wild (and totally emancipated) woman, and then a kind of sisterhood is established as the story progresses. The female characters are intelligently written. However, all the male roles are categorized as brutes, which is, in my opinion, the most negative point of this film for such a lack of nuance. It's worth noting that, despite some very gory situations, they're not really seen on screen but just implied, which I appreciated. Pollyanna McIntosh, whom I didn't know before this film, is stunning and definitely an actress to keep an eye on.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Predictable but well executed build-up and nails the ending with a well earned dose of comeuppance. Maybe one too many subplots, but not really.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

william d

Very weird. In a good way if you're a horror fan. Excellent performances by Pollyanna McIntosh and Sean Bridgers as the wild woman and the psycho, domineering father respectively.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

daniele u

La selvaggia che vive nel fiume ha la frangetta.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Aside from the horrifically violent and depraved misogynistic behavior that becomes increasingly harder to watch as the movie goes on, there is actually a couple of other themes/morals I got out of it too. Namely 'the oppression of ones individuality' and 'how our actions can influence others'. But again this is just my interpretation, and personally I would rate this film a bit higher if some of the other elements made more sense. To sum it up, I got what the movie was trying to do, but it just ended up being a bit of a nasty mess...in more ways than one

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

james g

What a visceral experience! And it's not until the last 1/3rd that you realize you're watching torture porn, a genre not for me. But I must hand it to all involved as I was hooked into a good story. I have VERY mixed feelings but I do try to include aspects of objectivity in my reviews by including ratings of various aspects of a movie. I could easily rate this one star as there were repulsive elements. But I could rate this very high because this one is impossible to forget. So>>> The Horror - 4 stars: A person is held captive and is subject to complete control by a family (a father, mother, teen boy about 15 y/o , teen girl about 16 y/o, and a girl child perhaps 5 years old). The captive is a 'feral wild woman'. But if you've ever been in a hospital or a wheelchair or are claustrophobic or are frightened by nutcases, you'll be afraid here. But it's torture porn. The Hook/Pace - 2 stars: great opener and moves okay (the middle of the film is a bit slow) until the last half hour and this then takes off like a bat out of hell. BUT, personally, I stopped the DVD twice as I was overwhelmed. The Jumps - 2 stars: Some very good ones but for me the best jumps are when you don't see everything, and oh, you see it all here. Besides, this is torture porn, a genre I despise. The Film - 2 stars: I liked the music. I didn't care much for the performances (other than Pollyanna McIntosh as The Woman, she's amazing) nor the reliance on gore. And did I mention I don't like torture porn? The End - 2 stars: You do get a payoff and it's what you expect, and what you might need to feel like maybe watching this film was worth it. BUT, I am not sure about the final ten seconds or so. Do people change, or don't they, or might they? SUMMARY - 2.4. This is indeed horror, and it shocks. It's hard to believe this movie is ten years old and I've never heard of it and that it feels as if it were made today. But no matter what, I can't think of a single person I'd recommend this to, under any circumstances. A grueling watch.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Lucky McKee

Director

Pollyanna McIntosh

The Woman

Sean Bridgers

Chris Cleek

Lauren Ashley Carter

Peggy Cleek

Angela Bettis

Belle Cleek

Zach Rand

Brian

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Rob Nelson

Variety

Calculatedly ugly and undeservedly controversial.

Jan 4, 2012

Full Review

Maggie Lee

Hollywood Reporter

Not only is it banal in a kitchen sink way, it's just a reiteration of the same argument.

Dec 8, 2011

Full Review

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

Subtle as a mugging and gleefully outrageous, "The Woman'' is a feminist parable disguised as a sicko midnight horror movie.

Rated: 2/4

Nov 27, 2011

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

A violent, disturbing skewering of the heteropatriarchy and the subjugation of women defining the inherent misogyny of intergenerational subjugation.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 25, 2020

Full Review

Naila Scargill

Exquisite Terror

An interesting statement on misogyny, albeit subtle as a sledgehammer-but then, this is from Lucky McKee and Jack Ketchum.

Feb 28, 2019

Full Review

J Hurtado

ScreenAnarchy

Starts off with a whimper and ends with a bang, as all good horror films should.

Nov 6, 2017

Full Review

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Synopsis

A lawyer (Sean Bridgers) puts his family in jeopardy when he captures the last member (Pollyanna McIntosh) of a violent clan and tries to forcibly tame her.

Director: Lucky McKee
Producer: Frank Olsen, Loren Semmens
Screenwriter: Jack Ketchum, Lucky McKee
Distributor: The Collective
Production Co: Modernciné
Rating: R (Disturbing Behavior|A Rape|Torture|Language|Some Graphic Nudity|Strong Bloody Violence)
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 14, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2017
Runtime: 1h 42m

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