IT'S nearly unbelievable that Nicole Kassell's The Woodsman, which arrived in Ster Century last Friday, is her debut feature as a director.

A stark independent film that attempts to go where no celluloid has gone before, it has received acclaim for both Kassell and her leading man, Kevin Bacon, due to its journey into the territory of a paedophile, but taking in the view from the offender's perspective along the way.

Bacon plays Walter, who we meet as he is released from prison after a long stretch for unspecified offences. Attempting to begin again in a sparse apartment, he gets a job in a factory, but struggles initially with the fact that his sister still won't talk to him.

Given that he has taken up residence opposite a schoolyard, he's immediately suspected and targeted by a local policeman (Mos Def). Things improve when he starts a relationship with a woman from the factory (Bacon's real-life wife Kyra Sedgewick), but his history casts a shadow which he finds hard to escape for long.

The Woodsman is not a film which will suit all palates - for a start, it's very indie, made on a shoestring budget and, as such, relies on subtle emotional punches rather than elaborate sets and lots of plot.

The fact that it refuses to comment much on Bacon's past behaviour, giving us little more than a shot of a young girl chasing a red ball, may frustrate audiences.

But the power of this piece lies in its refusal to toe the "hang 'em and flog 'em" line. Kassell met with both offenders and victims in preparation for the film and so we are equally repelled by Walter and torn apart emotionally by his own internal struggle with the urges he knows are so entirely wrong.

If you watch this film and have any response to it, Kassell has achieved her goal in opening up a dialogue on this subject.

Bottom line, these men exist. So what exactly should we do with them after they are inevitably released back into society?