The Woodsman: Movie review

" Do you believe in fairy tales?"

I understand why many would have down voted this movie. No one wants to ever understand the sick mind of a child predator. No one wants to have a reason to forgive or excuse a person who harms others, especially our kids. Personally, I wanted to watch it and get into that mind, so I did. I watched it objectively with a somewhat open mind to try and understand the thoughts behind the act and even after watching, I have to admit, I still do not understand.

The story is about a man who was convicted for ten years for molesting little girls. It seems it started when he was younger, just a little boy who innocently napped with his sister who was two years younger than he was. In his first memory of these inappropriate thoughts, he remembers getting pleasure for smelling his little sister's hair while she slept. Later on in his life, this fantasy or maybe addiction turned to him stalking little girls and luring them into liking him with candy, chocolates, toys or whatever it is that he could do. Eventually he would ask them to sit of his lap and perhaps smell their hair while he "moved his legs funny." It became sexual gratification.

The movie plays out his struggle to get over these feeling which he recognised were inappropriate. He struggled to keep himself from acting on his sick obsessions and seemingly was fighting to be "normal". 

In his words: "Normal is when I can see a girl...be near a girl, even talk to a girl...and not think about...That's my idea of normal"

Regardless, it brought up the question: If it were true that there are people who want to be "better", who would rather not be this way, Are we willing to tolerate them? Give them a chance to be and forgive 

the acts of the past? Do we have the ability to, I guess, recognize their willingness to change? As humans we evolve everyday, we better ourselves daily. Should I dare then think that this is not the same for these predators?

Morality is highly subjective. Thieves, addicts, terrorists are given that chance to turn or change. Sexual predators though, we do not give them the time of day. Maybe then we fail to break the cycle of the molester molesting a kid who in turn molests other kids and so forth. What if that act of tolerance and forgiveness of one could break the cycle, could we consider it then?

I'm an aunt and I would possible turn violent towards anyone who touches my babies. I do not have the answers to all these questions. Hell, I do not even believe I have that "Christ-like" nature of giving second chances and forgiving all people regardless of the gravity of their sins. Its unforgivable tainting our little kids in such a way. Getting them to feel loved even appreciated, stealing their trust then violating them in what they might think to be 'okay'. They are kids, our world's future. Perhaps in another world where the cycle hasn't started we would find a way to avoid it. Perhaps in that world all sickening acts would have a cure. Perhaps then, the world wouldn't be full of perverts. Just perhaps, it would be worth giving a second chance.