Hunt, The (2012) [Blu-ray]
Drama
--- Subtitled ---
THE HUNT is a disturbing depiction of how a lie becomes the truth when gossip, doubt and malice are allowed to flourish and ignite a witch-hunt that soon threatens to destroy an innocent man’s life. Mads Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a highly-regarded school
teacher who has been forced to start over having overcome a tough divorce. Just as things are starting to go his way, his life is shattered. An untruthful remark throws the small community into a collective state of hysteria. The lie is spreading and
Lucas is forced to fight a lonely fight for his life and dignity.
Storyline: A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son's custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an
innocent little lie.
Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov on April 14, 2013 -- Winner of Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Danish director Thomas Vinterberg's "Jagten" a.k.a "The Hunt" (2012) arrives on Blu-ray.
The entire film is set in a small Danish town where there are virtually no secrets. Here people lead quiet lives and try to help each other as much as they can. Occasionally there are arguments, typically between drunk friends, but things very quickly get
back to normal.
Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen, A Royal Affair, Flame and Citron) is in his early forties and living alone. He has recently parted ways with his wife and started rebuilding his life. His new job at the local nursery is far from perfect, but he is
pleased with it because it lets him pay the bills. Lucas is also pleased that he has been able to resume his communication with his teenage son, Marcus, who has been forced to live with his mother.
Nadja (Alexandra Rapaport, Persona non grata), who is also single and working in the nursery, likes Lucas. She approaches him and the two become lovers. Nadja wants more from her relationship with Lucas but understands that he needs time to
effectively redirect his life.
Five-year-old Klara (Annika Wedderkopp) also likes Lucas. She is one of his pupils and the daughter of his best friend, (Thomas Bo Larsen). Eventually, she also approaches Lucas and surprises him by giving him a gift and a kiss. But after he gently
returns the gift and tells her that kisses are only for Mom and Dad, Klara informs the principal (Susse Wold) that she has seen his penis. Seriously concerned, the principal confronts Lucas privately, and then invites a child psychologist to further
deconstruct Klara's confession. Eventually, the police are also informed and Lucas is promptly arrested.
Thomas Vinterberg's latest film reminds of French director Vincent Garenq's Présumé coupable a.k.a Presumed Guilty. Both films tell stories about innocent men whose lives are irreversibly damaged. Both films also ask some very important
questions that stay with the viewer long after the final credits roll.
Garenq's film, however, chronicles a true story, one that is universally considered to be the greatest French legal scandal in living memory. Unsurprisingly, in it a great deal of attention is given to the actual legal proceedings. Vinterberg's film is
structured differently – it is very subdued and atmospheric, valuing silence as much as words. The focus of attention in it is exclusively on the main protagonist's gradual isolation and his community's unjust condemnation.
The paranoia that fuels the hatred in Vintenberg's film is incredibly disturbing. As Lucas is slowly abandoned by his colleagues and friends, one is reminded of the infamous medieval witch hunts.
Mikkelsen's Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival is well deserved. In one of the film's most powerful sequences he goes to the local church where people have gathered to celebrate Christmas. He sits alone and listens to the children's choir. Then
he slowly turns around and looks at his best friend. The anger, the pain, the desperation. It is all there, all in a single look.
Lensed with the Arri Alexa Plus camera, The Hunt looks notably vivid and crisp. Even the darker footage from the forest boasts outstanding depth. The film was lensed by cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen, who also collaborated with
Vintenberg on the equally impressive Submarino.
Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt is a masterful film, truly impossible to forget. Mads Mikkelsen, who recently also appeared in the terrific A Royal Affair, is tremendous in it. It will be such a shame if North American distributors ignored
The Hunt as it is one of the very best films to be released theatrically in 2012. If you could play Region-B "locked" discs, adding this one to your collections should be a top priority. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
[CSW] -3.1- I couldn't have said it better than this reviewer.
Capricious accusations are immense punishments in themselves. They take on a life of their own, destroying relationships and livelihoods that once flourished. Malevolence supplants encouragement, liberty and love. In this compelling and
affecting film a decent and respectable man (Mads Mikkelsen) is brought low as he struggles to deal with the debilitating wounds inflicted upon him by those who are quick to judge or easily led. Mikkelsen is, as always, amazing. A strong supporting cast
ably assists him. The increasing loneliness and isolation of the accused, as in Franz Kafka stories, is palpable. The filmmakers themselves do not pass judgments yet present a balanced narrative in which the viewers come to their own conclusions. I
especially like the ending that continues along this same vein. Certain sub themes, such as the love life of the main character, might be better developed, yet overall it is an absorbing, thought provoking and intriguing film.
[V5.0-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.
º º