Labelled both misogynistic and feminist, The Woman, says writer/ director Lucky McKee, is neither: “It shows the abuse I see around me.”
It is upsetting, as Maine lawyer Chris (Sean Bridgers) finds a feral woman (Pollyanna McIntosh, outstanding) in the woods and hauls her home to “civilise” her.
Like co-writer Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door, it involves severe abuse, though the violence is portrayed responsibly and the bizarre final act empowers the victim.
McKee’s oblique storytelling and Sean Spillane’s mournful music add unusual textures to an otherwise savage attack on patriarchy.
