Director: Thomas Vinterberg
MPAA Rating: R
Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt is a difficult film to endure for several reasons. The subject matter is dark, tackling the topic of sexual abuse in children, but the fact that the viewer is made aware that the accused is innocent, makes it all the more of a challenge. The end result is in an incredibly compelling narrative with stellar performances and a thought provoking plot.
Mads Mikkelson plays Lucas, a kindergarten teacher who is in the process of gaining custody of his teenage son from his ex wife. Lucas is a terrific teacher and the children love him, maybe a little too much in the case of Klara (Annika Wedderkopp). After kissing him and presenting him with a present, Lucas realizes this is inappropriate and instructs her to give the gift to a boy in her class. She doesn’t take that well and proceeds to tell another teacher that he exposed himself to her.
Though we have seen many films in the past that have delved into child abuse, it’s rare that we have a film where we know from the onset that the protagonist is innocent. This allows the film to focus on the fallout from the accusation, rather than the crime itself. As Lucas’ life slowly unravels, we emphasize with him more and more.
Mikkelson’s performance proves to be one of the best of his career and he truly embodies a man whose friends have betrayed him and whose life is falling apart. We feel his pain, and we want him to get through this unscathed, but we know that probably won’t be the case.
One of the more endearing aspects of The Hunt, is that of the plot itself. It will certainly make any man that works around children think about the fact that this could happen to any of them at any time. We live in a society that’s hyper sensitive to accusations of sexual abuse, as it should be, however this shows that even those who are wrongfully accused are immediately deemed guilty even if it’s an unfounded comment from an angry child. Though this is a work of fiction, there’s no doubt that this type of thing happens and the outcome is often devastating.
Thomas Vinterberg does an incredible job of bringing this bleak story to the screen and making it look beautiful, even in the drab Danish backdrop. Vinterberg was made famous for directing the Dogme 95 film Celebration, and though digital cameras have advanced since then, he still uses plenty of handheld shots, which add to the film’s realism.
Though The Hunt is still making its way around the festival circuit, it was nominated for the coveted Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, as well as a BAFTA nomination for Best Film Not in the English Language.
This is a powerful film that deserves all the accolades it’s getting and is simply an exceptional film on every level. Hopefully there will be a VOD or Blu Ray release sometime this year, as this is a film that deserves more attention and is a must-see for 2013.
