Danish director Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt is a dark, powerful, and remarkably haunting testament of a human's innocence crumbled by a misunderstood lie, and the repercussions that follow when the ones who hold your trust the most immediately turn on you before you know it. Whether Vinterberg is taking inspiration from specific real-life events leads little to be known, but the sad news is the events that transpire within the near-two-hour runtime occur to people all around the world more often than many realize. In today's society, it is not uncommon for the innocent victim to be robbed of justice. So what is the topic here? The topic is sexual assault, a major issue that has run rampant throughout society like the plague while innocence of victims, or, in some cases, the wrongly accused hides in the dark as evil prevails with no obstacles to be set free. Mads Mikkelson takes the lead role in the story of a man who is caught at the business end of everyone's cruel misunderstanding while he watches as his life is sucked into a downward spiral. By the end to the film, it is nearly impossible to keep your heart intact from the sheer emotional destruction that follows. This film tells the story of Lucas (played by Mads Mikkelson), a divorced kindergarten teacher who appears to have his life in shape. The children at school love him like a father, and he is dating a beautiful woman (played by Alexandra Rappaport) who hopes to marry. But things get weird when he discovers that one of the girls in his class has somewhat of a crush on him. Lucas believes it is just part of her weird imagination. However, when the girl unexpectedly makes up a story about him doing some sexual misconduct to her, he becomes a target of hatred and hostility by the community including the girl's father (played by Thomas Bo Larsen), her mother (played by Anne Louis Hassing), and the community as a whole as he struggles to prove he is innocent.
Thomas Vinterber and co-writer Tobias Lindholm display the liveliness of their storytelling while the former operates the story with a strictly appropriate pacing and delicacy that paints an honest picture of the ugly side of the human race. The subject matter powering to the story is far from comforting and can be especially displeasing for anyone who has dealt with similar incidents. After all, this film never makes any attempts to sugarcoat the upsetting aftermath that consumes an innocent man's life. But that is only part of what makes it so powerful and, at times, deeply frustrating to the point where you can't help but roar at the corrupt face of human nature. We know Lucas is innocent but the community almost immediately sides with the little girl and believes Lucas is an evil seed. Their response to the innocent little lie only evokes sympathy for Lucas as he is forced to endure mass hysteria of angry citizens while he struggles to prove to them that the girl is lying for the sake of exercising her unchained imagination., even when she later admits she was only telling a story. And his struggle would not be emotionally draining enough without the powerful performance by Mads Mikkelson who nails the role with flying colors. The innocence in his eyes never soars away, and his talent on fueling the role with effectiveness pays more than enough to win our hearts up until the end credits roll. And Charlotte B. Christensen blesses the dark environment, lit with eerie lighting to grip viewers with deep displeasure, with striking cinematography that gracefully captures the tone and despair of the characters. It is genuinely impossible to recall a single shot that felt out of place.
The Hunt is a haunting, yet brutally powerful drama full of heart, despair, and deeply gripping emotion. And by no means will people will exit it without being choked with a sense of dread or exhaustion, but that is only what makes it a profoundly memorable experience in more ways than one. Thomas Vinterberg delivers a shocking whiplash of a cinematic work that desperately deserves your attention.
Thomas Vinterber and co-writer Tobias Lindholm display the liveliness of their storytelling while the former operates the story with a strictly appropriate pacing and delicacy that paints an honest picture of the ugly side of the human race. The subject matter powering to the story is far from comforting and can be especially displeasing for anyone who has dealt with similar incidents. After all, this film never makes any attempts to sugarcoat the upsetting aftermath that consumes an innocent man's life. But that is only part of what makes it so powerful and, at times, deeply frustrating to the point where you can't help but roar at the corrupt face of human nature. We know Lucas is innocent but the community almost immediately sides with the little girl and believes Lucas is an evil seed. Their response to the innocent little lie only evokes sympathy for Lucas as he is forced to endure mass hysteria of angry citizens while he struggles to prove to them that the girl is lying for the sake of exercising her unchained imagination., even when she later admits she was only telling a story. And his struggle would not be emotionally draining enough without the powerful performance by Mads Mikkelson who nails the role with flying colors. The innocence in his eyes never soars away, and his talent on fueling the role with effectiveness pays more than enough to win our hearts up until the end credits roll. And Charlotte B. Christensen blesses the dark environment, lit with eerie lighting to grip viewers with deep displeasure, with striking cinematography that gracefully captures the tone and despair of the characters. It is genuinely impossible to recall a single shot that felt out of place.
The Hunt is a haunting, yet brutally powerful drama full of heart, despair, and deeply gripping emotion. And by no means will people will exit it without being choked with a sense of dread or exhaustion, but that is only what makes it a profoundly memorable experience in more ways than one. Thomas Vinterberg delivers a shocking whiplash of a cinematic work that desperately deserves your attention.