Review "The Hunt"

There may be no greater crime than to take a child's innocence, so when accusations are made, they often turn from speculation to blind belief. The Hunt explores the perspective of a man falsely accused of sexually molesting a young child. Though innocent, he must learn to live as a moving target for the townspeople, who have spiraled out of control and cannot contain their disgust. The Hunt, directed by Thomas Vinterberg, proves to be a dramatic and terrifying lesson in group psychology.

Mads Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a young divorced kindergarten teacher. Right away we see how much of an average-joe life he leads. He squabbles with his ex-wife over the visitation hours of his son, he hunts with his best friends, he pursues a woman, and all the children at his school adore him. Maybe some adore him a little too much. Klara, Annika Wedderkop, has a crush on her teacher and has to be taken aside by him after she gives him a toy heart and kisses him on the mouth. Embarrassed and humiliated, Klara lashes out by telling another teacher that she hates Lucas, and that he exposed himself to her. While these accusations may have been fueled by her brother showing Klara pornographic images a few days earlier, Klara's accusations are swiftly investigated and soon every parent at the school knows that there is a sexual predator on the lose before Lucas can give his side of the story. In a heartbreaking example of dramatic irony, the audience must watch Lucas suffer through the hell that the townspeople put him through, as their actions escalade from acidic name calling to violent boycotting. The result is a story that grips you until the end, and even then will not let you go.

Since our knee jerk reaction is to believe the child, as is pointed out in the movie, the perspective of the wrongly accused is fascinating. Movies such as Doubt have explored accusations of child sexual abuse, but from a perspective of speculation. Vinterberg is quick to assert Lucas's innocence, but does that make the story less complex? During the film I rooted for Lucas and loathed those who persecuted him. Afterwards a question tried to disturb my satisfaction; what if we didn't know he was innocent? What if we only found out at the end that the accusations were false, or what if we never found out? Vinterberg instead chooses to save the audience from a moral dilemma, creating what some would call a weaker story. While at first I agreed with this, I soon realized the other valuable perspective that Vinterberg was aiming for. By presenting Lucas as an innocent character, the audience is able to focus on the reaction of the townspeople. Viewers can focus on the alternate dilemma of how they would react in a similar situation. Would you participate in the witch hunt? Cut your old friend out of your life? Vinterberg opens the floor up to a new and different type of moral question.

When considering the powerful impact The Hunt has on viewers, it is impossible to discount Mads Mikkelsen's gut-wrenching performance as the falsely accused who suffers in silence. Mikkelsen masters the many sides to Lucas, from the sensitive kindergarten teacher to the man who confronts his best friend in church with a quiet fury. The real skill comes in his pacing of the character. With Mads at the controls, Lucas shows a gradual yet subtle change as he takes on all the town can throw at him. The result is a well timed deterioration that evokes sympathy and support from the audience.

The cinematography of the film follows the content, as it changes from upbeat to the darkest of times. Changes in seasons illustrate this turn, starting in early fall and hitting the dead of winter when Lucas is at his lowest point. Camera shots progress from mostly day shots at the beginning to mostly twilight and night shots of a wintry overcast. This depicts the draining of life that happens both to the seasons and to Lucas and is also effective at illustrating the emotionally draining aspect of the movie, as it becomes harder and harder to watch Lucas suffer at the hands of the townspeople.

Throughout the film, Lucas and his friends take part in hunting trips where they shoot deer for sport. At first Lucas participates in the festivities whole heartily, but after his experience he finds it impossible to shoot the innocent deer. Vinterberg draws a parallel between the hunt of the deer and the hunt of Lucas, one of the least original aspects of the movie. While the message is clear, the comparison is canned and a bit trite. Still, it is accurate, as Lucas is the target of a different type of hunt, one that is perhaps even more vicious. Vinterberg's alternate portrait of a falsely accused man will stay with you long after the film has ended.



Directed by Thomas Vinterberg; Written by Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm; Produced by Sisse Graum Jorgenson, Morten Kaufmann, Martin Persson; With Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larson, Annika Wedderkop