The Hunt
Composite Score: 83.23
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Lasse Fogelstrøm, Susse Wold, Anne Louis Hassing, Lars Ranthe, and Alexandra Rapaport
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Writers: Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm
Genres: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content including a graphic image, violence, and language
Box Office: $15.89 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Hunt is Thomas Vinterberg’s film about a kindergarten teacher who is falsely accused of molesting one of his students and must deal with ostracism from his community as he works to prove his innocence to them. Oscar-nominated film stars Mads Mikkelsen in its leading role, giving an incredibly moving performance as the accused, Lucas. The film’s emotional beats, solid visuals, quality performances, and deeply human story have made it one of the most acclaimed Danish films of all time. It is by no means a film that you will soon forget.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
In a post-MeToo world, this film has the potential to get love from the wrong kind of crowd – the ones who love to harp on about women who lie about being sexually assaulted to get attention or to get men in trouble and all that junk. Because the film’s premise is that of a child lying about being molested by her older male teacher, it’s easy to see how that would be someone’s takeaway if they come in with that mindset. For that reason, I don’t think this film has aged overly well because of the amount of people close to the film industry who would want to latch onto such an interpretation. That being said, I don’t think that was Vinterberg’s or Mikkelsen’s intention in making this film, and I think people who take it as such are being intentionally disingenuous and incredibly problematic.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
The true subject of this film is not sexual assault/wrongful accusations of sexual assault. The Hunt’s true focus is on the human need for connection with others and the many problems that arise when we distance ourselves from those around us or when we ostracize those who were once a part of the group. (Please note: I don’t think that we should simply accept people who actually commit acts of sexual assault, particularly against minors, back into society with no consequences – again, the subject of the film makes it difficult to talk about to an extent.) Much of Lucas’s problems come because he has already distanced himself from many people in his community, so they find it relatively easy to distrust him. Initially, the only person on his side is the man who is the godfather of his son, which makes sense because he is the only person in close enough relationship with Lucas to know that the allegations are not true. In the same way, Lucas’s continued ostracism after the dropping of the charges causes problems not just for him but in the spirit of his community. The eruption at the Christmas Eve service is a perfect climactic moment because it captures not just Lucas’s frustration, but the failure of the town to actually deal with their own biases and distrust in the process. Though dealing with a delicate subject, the film’s message of community and our need for human connection rings through strongest.
Additionally, The Hunt might contain the best performance that Mads Mikkelsen has ever given. I love him in his litany of villainous and/or action roles that he has taken on in recent years, but as Lucas, he delivers a gut-wrenchingly withdrawn performance, taking abuse after abuse almost as penance for a crime that he never even dreamed of committing. From start to finish, Mikkelsen’s performance draws the audience in and begs them to empathize with this character struggling to hold on in a world that so often has not gone his way. Though the film’s conclusion might not give the audience the most wrapped up story, it does deliver on Lucas’s resolve to continue to live despite all that he has gone through, and because of Mikkelsen’s performance, that thought gives the audience hope.
Mads Mikkelsen gives the performance of his career in The Hunt, helping make Thomas Vinterberg’s tale about our need for community and connection resonate so much more deeply than it otherwise might have with a different lead, bringing the film to the forefront of the conversation about the Greatest Films of All Time. Though its subject matter lends itself to being the favorite of certain less than savory groups, people who watch closely and look for the truth at the heart of the film will be rewarded with an encouragement to engage others with empathy, trust, and kindness rather than judgement, distrust, and ostracism. This film is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video for a few more days if you’re looking for a place to watch it.
