The Backwoods (2006)

An English couple's holiday in Spain is interrupted when they discover a girl imprisoned in a cabin.

Director:

Koldo Serra

Writers:

Jon Sagalá (screenplay), Koldo Serra (screenplay)

Stars:

Gary Oldman, Virginie Ledoyen, Paddy Considine

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Gary Oldman	...	Paul
Virginie Ledoyen	...	Lucy
Paddy Considine	...	Norman
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón	...	Isabel
Lluís Homar	...	Paco
Jon Ariño	...	Lechón
Álex Angulo	...	José Andrés
Kandido Uranga	...	Miguel (as Kándido Uranga)
Andrés Gertrúdix	...	Antonio
Patxi Bisquert	...	José Luis
Savitri Ceballos	...	José Andrés' Daughter
José Andrés Zalguegui	...	Bartender (as José A. Zalduegui)
Ramón Churruca	...	Ignacio
Isabel Jiménez	...	Waitress
Yaiza Esteve	...	Nerea, The Child

Storyline

Ledoyen and Considine play a young married couple at the end of the 1970s, who come to visit a friend (Oldman) who now lives in the Basque region because he has married a woman from there (Sánchez-Gijón). Their tranquil summer turns to horror when they discover a girl with horribly mutilated hands in the forest. They try to help her by taking her away from the home in which she is locked, but the local villagers, who have to protect the girl, start a pursuit in the forest they know much better than the visitors.

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Plot Keywords:

couple | spain | married couple | cabin | rape attempt | 

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Taglines:

There are hunters and prey...that's the only truth in this world.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film takes place in 1978.

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Goofs

When Paul is out with the villagers, back at the house Norman, Lucy and Isabel do not hear the practice shots Paul and the others take on a clear day. Yet later in a torrential downpour, having walked miles farther towards the nearest town, the trio hear the distant single shot when Paco kills Paul.

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Quotes

Norman: I'm just trying to think!
Paul: Don't think! Let me think for both of us!

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Connections

References Little House on the Prairie (1974)

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Soundtracks

Lover, lover, lover
Written and Performed by Leonard Cohen
Taken from the Album 'New Skin for the old Ceremony'
Courtesy of Sony HNG Music, Canada

User Reviews

Thrilliing , tense , strong and enjoyable Spanish film with high doses of violence

Exciting film set at the end of the 1970s , about four tourists threatened by hooligans locals , as there are hunters and prey . When they return to an ancestral village tensions build between them , a brewing conflict with locals becomes a threat to them . As two couples's holiday called Paul (Gary Oldman) , Lucy (Virginie Ledoyen) , Norman (Paddy Considine) , Isabel (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón) in Spain are interrupted when they discover a girl imprisoned in a cabin . Ledoyen and Considine play a young married couple who are going through a difficult patch in their relationship and come to visit a friend Paul (Oldman) who now lives in the Basque region because he has married a woman from there (Aitiana Sánchez-Gijón) . It escalates quickly into a bloody battle between Brits and Spanish rednecks (Kandido Uranga , Patxi Bisquert , Lluis Homar) . Paul whose pacifism is put to supreme test attempts to protect a dim-witted little girl who they have found locked . They try to help her by taking her away from a dark house , but the local villagers, who have to protect the girl and seem determined to keep her in atrocious conditions, start a pursuit in the forest they know much better than the visitors . As the jealous as well as resentful locals and desirous of women assault their house , as they are viciously attacked . Their house is put under siege by the incensed villagers , but they defend the mansion with ferocity . Later on , they flee seeking security , but their attempts to help the little girl are hampered by the denseness of the forest and a relentless pursuit by the nasty rednecks .

Violent film contains thrills , chills , suspense , twists , and results to be quite entertaining . A controversial violence-themed picture ; dealing with a known plot , as a group of British people go to a rural little village and face increasingly vicious local harassment . As their tranquil summer turns to horror when they discover a girl with horribly mutilated hands in the forest . We are facing a tense film , hard , tough , brilliant in many moments, with some aspect of western , with a grand and impressive ending . The picture packs intrigue , action , intense drama and lots of violence . The story takes parts , here and there , from famous films such as ¨Deliverance", ¨Wild bunch¨ , ¨Next of kin¨ and especially "Straw Dogs" . The main cast is frankly excellent with players of several nationalities as the British Gary Oldman and Paddy Considine ; French Virginie Ledoyen and Spanish Aitiana Sanchez Gijon . Support cast is mostly Spaniard such as Jon Ariño , Lluís Homar who excels in his acting , Kandido Uranga and special appearance of Álex Angulo , ¨Dia De La Bestia¨'s starring . Gary Oldman, Paddy Considine and Virginie Ledoyen were dubbed for the Spanish version of the film. The scenes where the characters had whole scenes with English dialog were all dubbed ; only when the characters spoke in English with the Spanish characters, the dubbing actors said their lines in English ; 'Aitana Sánchez-Gijon' dubbed herself .

Unax Mendia cinematography is excellent creating a rainy and cold atmosphere , he's expert on sombre photography , being stunningly shot on location in Navarra woods . Thrilling and moving musical score by Fernando Velazquez who subsequently would make a notorious career with successful films as ¨Orphanage¨ , ¨Devil¨ , ¨Mama¨ and ¨The impossible¨ . The flick was finely produced by the chairman of Filmax Productions , Julio Fernandez along with his brother Carlos Fernandez as executive producer , they're two successful producers and experts on terror genre , producing a lot of hits , such as ¨The machinist¨, ¨Rec ¨1¨, 2¨ and ¨3¨ , ¨Fragiles¨, ¨Darkness¨, ¨El perfume¨ , ¨The nun¨ , ¨Transsiberian¨ and many others . The flick was professionally directed by Koldo Serra in his only film and obtained moderated success . Serra uses many long shots, showing a leisurely narrative pace . Definitely a big "debut" of director Koldo Serra who promises to be a great filmmaker .

Details

Country:

France Spain UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

16 February 2007 (Spain)

Also Known As:

The Backwoods

Filming Locations:

Navarra, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

EUR3,600,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$123,913

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmax Entertainment, Monfort Producciones, Castelao Producciones

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1