The Backwoods

The Backwoods
The Backwoods
Directed by	Koldo Serra
Written by	Jon Sagalá; Koldo Serra
Produced by	Iker Monfort; Julio Fernández
Starring	Gary Oldman; Virginie Ledoyen; Paddy Considine; Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
Cinematography	Unax Mendia
Edited by	Javier Ruiz Caldera
Music by	Fernando Velázquez
Production; companies	Filmax Entertainment; Monfort Producciones
Distributed by	Lionsgate; Filmax SA
Release dates	24 September 2006 (San Sebastián Film Festival); 16 February 2007 (Spain);
Running time	97 minutes
Countries	Spain; United Kingdom; France
Language	English

The Backwoods, alternately known in Spanish as Bosque de Sombras, is a 2006 Spanish-British thriller film directed and co-written by the Spanish director Koldo Serra.

Set in 1978 in the Basque Country, Northern Spain, The Backwoods tells the story of two married couples staying in an isolated house in the woods.^[1] Once belonging to his Basque grandmother, Englishman Paul (Gary Oldman) has purchased the house as a holiday retreat for himself and his Spanish wife Isabel (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón) . They are joined by fellow Englishman Norman (Paddy Considine) and his wife Lucy (Virginie Ledoyen), who are hoping the holiday will help save their marriage. While out hunting, Norman and Paul discover a deformed girl locked away in an abandoned building; deciding to rescue her, they take her back to their holiday home. The following day, a group of armed local men come to the house searching for the girl, whom they claim is their niece.

Critics noted similarities between The Backwoods and earlier thrillers such as Deliverance and Straw Dogs.

Plot

Set in the summer of 1978, Lucy and Norman, a young married couple whose relationship is going through a rough patch, join Norman's boss, Paul, and his Spanish wife, Isabel, on holiday in Basque Country. Located in an isolated area in the middle of the forest, Paul's ancestral home seems the ideal spot for a quiet stay and the chance for Lucy and Norman to sort out their emotional problems. However, their peace is shattered when Paul and Norman discover a cabin in the forest in which a girl with ectrodactyly is imprisoned. Their attempts to take the girl to the police are hindered by the difficulties of the heavily wooded terrain and the intervention of a group of villagers who are determined to keep the girl locked away for good.

Cast

Gary Oldman as Paul
Virginie Ledoyen as Lucy
Paddy Considine as Norman
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón as Isabel
Lluís Homar as Paco
Yaiza Esteve as Nerea
Álex Angulo as Jose Andrés
Patxi Bisquert as José Luis
Andrés Gertrúdix as Antonio
Savitri Ceballos as Hija de Jose Andres
José Andrés Zalguegui as The Bartender

Reviews

Based on nine reviews, the film garnered an aggregate rating of 63% on the Rotten Tomatoes website.^[2]

References

^ "THE BACKWOODS". Film4. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
^ "The Backwoods (Bosque de sombras) (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 24 June 2020.

External links

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[1] "THE BACKWOODS". Film4. Retrieved 1 June 2012.

[RT-2] "The Backwoods (Bosque de sombras) (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 24 June 2020.

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