Customer Reviews

The Backwoods

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you enjoyed films like 'Deliverance (inbred hillbilly folk hunting down tourists)' and/or 'Straw Dogs (wimpy man tired of being pushed around finally learns to grow a pair and protects his woman)' then 'The Backwoods' is right up your alley in delivering a stylized 1970s-esque action thriller set in the Basque hills of Spain. Keep in mind that this film isn't meant to cater to the Euro art house cinema crowd. This flick is a slice of pure, B-grade genre kettlecorn that would actually fit in quite nicely as part of a Tarantino Grindhouse double feature.

Also of note - this disc has ZERO extras save for a handful of LionsGate trailers. The 5.1 mix is surprisingly robust. Video transfer quality gets a 7/10 from me. Definitely give this film a rental - at the very least!

"The Backwoods" (original title "Bosque de sombras") follow the story of two married couples holidaying in Spain and their nightmarish experiences. One couple is played by Gary Oldman and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón and the other by Paddy Considine and Virginie Ledoyen. I don't know why, but the time is set in the 1970s. Perhaps they wanted to call up the memories of two masterpieces made in the 70s: "Straw Dogs" and "Deliverance."

In fact, Paddy Considine's mild-mannered character Norman might remind us of Dustin Hoffmann's hero in the Sam Peckinpah classic. Two male characters Norman and Oldman's Paul, who has an assertive personality, travel to the "backwoods" in Spain with their wives for a summer holiday only to get involved with conflict with the locals after finding a little girl imprisoned in a shack.

If you look at the DVD jacket of the film, you will find the filmmakers are using the face and name of Gary Oldman to attract potential viewers. It is understandable. As you know, he is an excellent actor, whose charismatic performance alone is always worth the money you pay. But I must say that in "The Backwoods" the task of carrying the whole story to the end is not given to the character Oldman plays. You wish you could see more of his acting, which is not his best, it is certain, but surely his presence could have raised the tension of the film a little higher than it is.

In fact "The Backwoods" takes too much time to build up the tension it really needs. The film's pace gets faster in the second, but it never delivers the goods it promised at the beginning of the story. It tries to tell its story with a psychological depth, but female characters are bland, almost like ciphers, and as to the male ones the character development looks too sudden, which needs more insight.

"The Backwoods" is directed by Spanish-born Koldo Serra. Like many recent Spanish-made thrillers, the cinematography is very atmospheric. Actually, each scene is shot professionally; violence erupts at times and ugliness of human nature is shown, but "The Backwoods" does not really thrill or surprise us with raw energy or depth that this kind of film needs.

It is not that "The Backwoods" is awful. It is just that the film needs some distinctive style that sets that apart from others.

While holidaying in the Basque region of Spain, two couples discover a child whose hands are severely misshapen. The child has been gravely mistreated, and, as a result, cannot communicate. The two couples reluctantly decide to rescue her and report her circumstances to the authorities. However, severe weather and the denseness of the forest surrounding their holiday home make it impossible for them to make a quick getaway. Soon, the local inhabitants become aware that the girl is missing, and they rightly suspect the holiday-makers of taking her. Suspicions and paranoia begin to fester, and it isn't long before violence erupts. The villagers demand the little girl's return, and her rescuers refuse to give her up. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse ensues, making a return to normalcy impossible for everyone involved.

The premise for The Backwoods is an intriguing one. The idea of how quickly basic human instincts make situations spiral out of control, is nearly always used to good effect in movies. For any writer/director, this concept opens up a myriad of opportunities to shock, as well as to fascinate. This fact probably accounts for why this device is a much-overused set piece. Films of this genre, when well executed, are guaranteed, at the very least, cult-classic status (e.g., Deliverance and Straw Dogs). However, when poorly executed, the resultant films can resemble a confusing, farcical mess. Unfortunately, The Backwoods is an example of the latter.

The Backwoods starts off well, trying to develop the main characters, before violence eventually erupts. However, what we have learned of their character in the initial scenes gives us little insight as to why the characters react as they do to the situation they are dealt. For example, Oldman's character, Paul, is the only one of the four main characters who is thoroughly determined to save the girl. At no time does he falter, even when he could save his life by telling the villagers where the disfigured girl is. This character trait does not hold true, because, up to this point, his character has appeared arrogant and overbearing, with little or no regard for those around him. Having said this, the four leads all give solid, believable performances, and, for the most part, cover up, rather than expose, the inconsistencies in their characters' nature.

Apart from flaws in the development of central characters, this movie has other problems. First, the deformity that the little girl has seems too ludicrous to be believable. If you have ever seen Batman Returns, and you remember the misshapen hands that The Penguin had, you will get the idea. As a viewer, the fact that the little girl has "Penguin hands" makes it hard to take her plight seriously. And finally, the main reason why this movie is farcical rather than stimulating is the movie styles to which it chooses to pay homage. I can understand the stylish, 1970s-vibe it tries to recreate, and I can also appreciate the nods directed toward Peckinpah and Boorman. But, what I can't understand is why the writer and director chose to insert a Sergio Leone-style climactic scene. Up until the final scene, the movie has tried to be dark and thought-provoking. Up until the final moments it has tried to teach the audience something about the human psyche; it has failed miserably, but it has tried. And then, all of the sudden, ten minutes before the end, you have a man-on-man gunfight, reminiscent of a spaghetti western. This ultimate fight appears to be forced and is very much out of place. The only thing that links this final scene to what has preceded it, is the fact that the ultimate scene's outcome is as confusing and pointless as the rest of the movie.

In short, The Backwoods is a jumbled mess, which is full of inconsistencies in character, plot, and style. The only factor that rescues The Backwoods from being a complete disaster are the proficient performances of its lead actors. If you want to watch a film that explores basic human instincts, why not try Magnolia Pictures', The Signal. You will find that film a lot more entertaining and a lot less confusing than this shambolic piece of filmmaking.

I admit it. I'm a sucker for a Gary Oldman flick. Just show me his name on the screen and I'm there, ready and willing. Gary Oldman is the bomb. But more importantly, he takes chances and that's exactly what he did with this film.

THE BACKWOODS takes place in Northern Spain in 1978. Two couples are vacationing together, each in different stages of their marriage. The realism between Norman and Lucy is raw, there are moments I wanted to look away, the intimacy, the pain felt so real. The characters are fleshed out excellently before the "real" pain begins.

Norman and Paul go on a misguided hunting trip in the woods and stumble on a seemingly abandoned house with a horrible secret. Locked away inside is a feral child chained and in rags. The child has deformities and has suffered tremendously, judging by her reaction to the men.

Rather than leave her there to possible starve, since there wasn't any food in the shack, Paul decides to take her back with them. He reasons with Norman that they can feed her, clean her up and then take her to the police.

And perhaps Paul's plan would have worked, except for the group of violent Spanish heathens who show up on his doorstep, determined to take back possession of their property. When the inevitable clash occurs, ill-fated choices are made, sad attempts at redemption and the grudging respect between two enemies.
But even more surprising is the character development of Norman, the layers that strip away till the naked core is bloody and bruised.

THE BACKWOODS won't be everyone's cup of tea. Everything isn't nice and neatly wrapped up at the end. I have to admit, the ending was a bit shocking for me, something I didn't see coming. But the film delivers. The atmosphere, the moodiness, the beautiful scenery, meaty characters that you can relate to, all this makes THE BACKWOODS a superior film experience.

If you're wanting to veg out,rest your brain and not think, then this isn't your film. However if you want something to haunt your dreams and quite possibly your waking hours as well, THE BACKWOODS is the one. Come on, let's play in the woods.

With some solid acting performances, The Backwoods (2007) is a tense and edgy thriller with some dark undercurrents swirling beneath the surface, as newcomers to the Basque region in Spain, run afoul of some the locals.

The year is 1978, and Paul (Gary Oldham) has invited his friend Norman (Paddy Considine) and his wife Lucy (Virginie Ledoyen), who are having marital problems, to come to his home located deep in the woods for a visit. Paul's family was originally from the area, and he has moved there to live with his wife Isabel (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) who is Spanish. Paul himself speaks fluent Spanish, and tries to be a hospitable host, though he often comes off as a condescending know-it-all, talking down to Norman.

While wandering through the woods hunting, Norman and Paul run across a cottage, break in, and discover a young girl with deformed hands, imprisoned inside. Returning home with the girl, Paul decides to take her to the nearest village, and turn her over to the police. While on the way, a distracted Paul slams his SUV into a tree, forcing the group to return to the cabin.

The following day, a group of men with guns arrive at the house. Their leader Paco (Lluis Homar), says they are looking for a missing girl. Paul joins the search party intending to lead them away, and tells Norman to take the girl to the police. Norman however, decides to stay put, lying to the women about what Paul told him to do. This is a decisive point, as from here Norman takes charge of the women and little girl, while Paul matches wits with Paco, who knows more about the situation than it seems. Violence soon erupts, as Paul brutally drowns a man, while Norman employs his shotgun, and heads into the woods with the women in an attempt to reach help.

The film's ending is somewhat confusing and perhaps unsatisfying, as the child is saved, but things do not conclude in a neat and tidy manner, and there are jagged holes left for the viewer to fill in. The situation between Lucy and Norman deteriorates under stress, and becomes one of the key elements. It's a point of discussion, whether they have any future together. Directed by Koldo Serra, Backwoods has some impressive cinematography, and some strong acting performances, particularly by Gary Oldman, Lluis Homar, and Paddy Considine. The story while fairly credible, does unravel at the end, and the unconventional finish may be unsettling. The action sequences are mostly very well done, and except for the terribly clichéd standoff at the end, pretty realistic. Rating: 3.5 stars)

This is an unresolved story and that will leave many unsatisfied if you like neatly tied up endings.

I think the movie tries to contrast the seperate worlds of different cultures and human responses to events, There are many emotional struggles going on among the characters, and that elicits a range of feelings in the viewer; that's good.

However, some of the scenes indeed make little sense or even seem "wrong" or "unbelievable" such as Paul, holding a shotgun in one hand up against an old man and having established a macho, self-actualized character, simply dropping to his knees to be shot, a woman sitting quietly and comfortably by while her friend is raped, a child who doesn't really seem to be anything.. just a convenient prop.. lots of loose ends.. but it is one of those films that can take you on a theatrical journey.. one which you may or may not enjoy.

Three things make this watchable: the four main characters make a decent show of a weak opportunity, the cinematography is quite good, and the suspense developed through the scenes keeps your interest.

This was a good move but it was hard to follow. We had to keep stopping it to read the subtiltes. It was Englsh when the tourist talked but when the people in Spain talked it was Spanish. I think it would have been a really great movie if it all had been in English and built up the supense more.

The cooking shows Made in Spain and the Gwyneth Paltrow one haven't disabused me of this opinion. Everything looks very desert-y so who would travel to the boonies because the wine is so cheap. Stay on the coasts. Spaniards look like really nice people (not in this movie, of course) but really, who would go into the sandy outback who wasn't born there and stuck there a la Don Quixote. I didn't realize that this was set in the 70s.

i got bored, but i have not finished watching so who know it might turn out good

I admit, I rented this because I saw Gary Oldman's picture on the disc cover, but what a disappointment. What were you thinking, Gary? His acting, as always, was wonderful, however, the storyline/script was horrid and a waste of his ability and time. I was greatly disappointed, and was only able to give it more than one star because of Gary's performance.