MovieChat Forums > The Woman (2011) Discussion > A WARNING TO THOSE WHO HAVENT SEEN IT

A WARNING TO THOSE WHO HAVENT SEEN IT

posted 13 years ago by trotts3
48 replies | jump to latest

This has been mentioned by others on this page before, but I felt another voice needed to be added to this side of the argument for what is obviously, although somewhat surprisingly, a divisive film.

This film is VERY DISTURBING, and for some (myself included) you may wish you hadn't watched it. I'm not going to get into the argument of if this is a good or a bad film, or discuss the music, or the character development, or if this is art designed to make you think. I just want people to know before watching it that this film is dominated (almost exclusively) by scenes of misogyny, mental and physical torture, abuse and rape. This is the point I wish to make, and I'm not commenting on the merits of these scenes, just that they're the overarching theme. So if you don't wish to watch 2 hours of that kind of thing, then don't watch this film, like I said, I wish I hadn't.

And just to explain myself a little, I have no problem with horror, torture, gore, and most other staples of these kinds of films. But, and this is just a personal thing, the one thing that I can't watch is violence against women. It's not that I've ever had to deal with this in my life (I'm male, and had a fairly normal upbringing) but it's just something that's always made me sick to my stomach...I don't know why. And needless to say this movie made me feel the same way. So this is why I'm writing this. If you aren't prepared to watch a lot of degradation and violence against women, DON'T WATCH THIS FILM.

[–] elizabetmulder 13 years ago

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I probably will, I'm just commenting on your comment because I appreciate it.

I like the fact that you just state that it is very disturbing and why, not going into the good movie/ bad movie discussion. I'm more aware of what I'm going to watch now. I'm a woman and even though in real life I am obviously against violence and brutality against my sex, and it does make me sick to my stomach too, I do not mind a good horror movie where stuff like that happens. But your topic informed me much better than the trailer. Thanks

[–] iceguy0077 13 years ago

And when you say misogyny, you probably mean the whole movie is angry men yelling at perfect innocent women. Give me a break.

[–] mjr3090 12 years ago

You obviously haven't seen this movie... o.O

And to the OP...Kudos both for having a brain and heart, and for being disturbed by abuse...and for giving a heads up ...I've seen this movie (and "Girl Next Door" as well) for precisely the reason you wish you hadn't: I tend to seek out the disturbing, so I will never forget that this kind of brutality exists outside of my comfortable, peaceful world (for which I am grateful every moment I live, having not always been in a comfortable, peaceful place.) Being disturbed by this kind of thing, even in an exaggerated, fictional way, serves as a reminder there's something outside our own lives...and it's not always pretty.

And I second the warning...Brutal doesn't even begin to describe it...

[–] omega_21 10 years ago

Hum a heart surely... a brain i don't know.... the movie is not realist at all... it don't me disturb me at all because of this, the acting is very burlesque and overplay a lot... I love that, i find it very funny. But except the last minutes they are no gore or sexual brutality... Is there are any "rape" in the first 15 minutes i miss ? Because i saw no one for my part.... i just can't bear this kind of scene and never watch them, it's my limit... and i passed through the movie without problems lol

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] jamesaxbrice 13 years ago

If you feel that way about this movie, I must give you a warning. This movie is Sunday School material compared to Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door, which is faithfully based on a true story about the Likens girl. The Woman is a cartoon compared to the abuse and torture in The Girl Next Door.

Law? WHERE'S THE LAW NOW!!??!!-Burt Reynolds; Deliverance.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Kissyroberts 13 years ago

As I was watching this movie I was saying to my partner this is the second worst movie I've ever seen (worst, not meaning quality but by really *beep* up), with A Serbian Film being number one.There was another one, I think it was called Revenge or something? That was pretty bad took. Now between this movie and Serbian, where would The Girl Next Door be?

[–] Kissyroberts 13 years ago

*The movie was called I Spit On Your Grave. It was about revenge not called revenge lol.

[–] silvermoonneedles 12 years ago

I think this movie for me personally would be kinda of equivalent to a serbian film but less disturbing then the girl next door. I mean if you look at the types of abuse happening in the films a serbian film is obviously the worst because it has rape, torture, pedophilia, beastiality, murder ect, but for some reason the girl next door just left me the most emotionally scarred. Maybe its because I watched it when I was like pretty young.

[–] unknown_soul278 13 years ago

'The Girl Next Door' is NOT a faithful representation of the Likens case. It was inspired by that case and highly dramatized. The rape(s) did not happen, nor did the blowtorch incident.

I am not in any way trying to downplay the horror that girl suffered, but 'An American Crime' is a far more accurate account of what really happened.

The wild, cruel animal is not behind the bars of a cage. He is in front of it.

[–] meemee_7 13 years ago

I've seen American Crime and as I read this thread I wondered how it compared to the Ketchum film...

"...if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes!" Roy Batty

[–] unknown_soul278 13 years ago

American Crime doesn't show as much of the abuse and was mostly taken from court transcripts and interviews. The Likens case is referred to as a 'sexless' sex crime, meaning there was no physical rape or sexual molestation by another person.

In The Girl Next door, Ketchum adds actual rape and an assault with a blowtorch, neither of which actually happened. It is mainly focused on the physical abuse and torture.

The wild, cruel animal is not behind the bars of a cage. He is in front of it.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] fiatlux423 13 years ago

This is a good comment. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Now, what I find amusing is the string of comments that came later on. The point of this post was not to argue the merits or lack of value in this movie. It is to warn potential viewers, because trailers can be misleading. Some people would appreciate this sort of heads up. He did not say DON'T WATCH THIS FILM as a blanket statement. He said "If you are uncomfortable with this subject matter, don't watch this film!'

Why do horror fans need to engage in these pissing contests of "I've seen more twisted movies than you!1!!" So compared to Girl Next Door this is "a cartoon." That might mean something if... no, wait, it will never mean something in this thread. Are you going to try and say this film did not feature degradation of women? Because THAT IS THE POINT HERE. And it was pretty blatant misogyny, were you even awake at the end when Cleek was "confronting" his daughter? Or was this so tame it could not hold your desensitized, bone headed attention for 2 hours?

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] DisturbedPixie 12 years ago

Yes, it is more disturbing to me, but it did have some similar moments, and made me feel very similar to how I felt watching "The Girl Next Door".

I think considering "The Girl Next Door" was inspired by a true story but made more sickening and had such an ending, that it's hard to seet much merrit behind it.

At least in The Women you get a sort of I Spit On Your Grave feeling for the ending, and almost happy in the end. And I found the characters were well portrayed and the acting was very good. It all kinda flowed together better than "The Girl Next Door".

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] unknown_soul278 13 years ago

it's just something that's always made me sick to my stomach...I don't know why

I don't know... maybe you're a decent human being?

The wild, cruel animal is not behind the bars of a cage. He is in front of it.

[–] violet_yoshi 13 years ago

Jack Ketchum wrote a story about the real life abuse of a girl called The Girl Next Door. If you're familiar with that book, you can see how it inspired aspects of The Woman. I believe that's what makes this film so disturbing, that it shows the real life aspects of abuse, based on Jack's knowledge of abuse. Maybe this film was a cathartic release for what happened with The Girl Next Door. That he rewrote the story where the woman who was abused, was able to get her revenge.

[–] unknown_soul278 12 years ago

I don't really think they compare. TGND was based on a girl (Sylvia Likens) going into a living situation she may have trusted to begin with based on normal human experencies; at that time children were still taught to basically trust adults, especially women. Her parents left her there, trusting GB to care for her, and that trust was betrayed.

The Woman had no trust of society, she was really like a wild animal, and she was physically forced into captivity from the beginning. She never trusted her captors, and she probably would have killed them with little or no provocation even if they had never hurt her, possibly for food since she was a cannibal, or to defend her territory. She may have been on the same intelligence level as 'normal' people, but she lived more by animal instinct.

The wild, cruel animal is not behind the bars of a cage. He is in front of it.

[–] garbage_day1987 12 years ago

the rape stuff made me uncomfortable, but i "enjoyed" it regardless. by "enjoy" i mean i didn't regret watching it.

[–] Eve_of_Destruction 12 years ago

Yeah, because violence against women (even if they are evil) makes a guy tough.

What's your favorite scary movie?
http://janayime.tumblr.com/

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] smackthepony 11 years ago

Go home, you are drunk.

You serve food here?
Best in Mexico!
I kinda doubt that.