The Hunt (2013)

Mads Mikkelsen is most notably known as a villain. Whether you recognize him more as the man opposing James Bond in Casino Royale or as Hannibal Lecter on NBC’s hit show Lecter, he’s adept at playing the bad guy. But, in the most poignant performance of his career and one that earned him praise across the globe, Mikkelsen stars as Lucas, a kind and gentle daycare employee falsely accused of molesting one of his students in the Danish film and Academy Award-nominated foreign language film The Hunt.

I struggle with movies that are subtitled. My philosophy often is if I can view a good film in English or one that is in another language that will force me to spend a couple of hours reading while also trying to pay attention to the visuals on the screen, why wouldn’t I pick the movie in my native language? Unless a film (or one of its leads) is nominated for an Academy Award (AmourMaria Full of Grace), is recommended by a friend (The Lunchbox), or doesn’t have an English substitute (North Face), I’m probably not going to give it a chance. It’s not because those movies will be bad. Like everyone, I have a job and many other hobbies, and time is limited. However, when a foreign language film does break through, and it is well made, it is a film that I will likely remember for a long time, if not for the rest of my life. This was certainly the case with The  Lunchbox, North Face, and The Hunt.

I knew very little about The Hunt before my Netflix viewing. I knew it had earned an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, dead well with the critics (94% on Rotten Tomatoes), and had a cool title. And, because of its nomination, I knew I would be viewing a foreign-language film. Almost instantly, I knew this film would be different from anything I thought it would be. Quickly, Lucas was identified as a likable chap. He was previously employed at a local school as an elementary teacher but was left jobless after that school closed. The children at his current daycare adore him, and while he was divorced and his teenage son Marcus (Lasse Fogelstrøm) didn’t live with him, he had a pretty good life. He was able to walk to work. He owned his own home. He had a loving dog. He had numerous friends and a budding romance with the beautiful Nadja (Alexandra Rapaport).

However, because he was such a pleasant and endearing man, he had the affection of Klara, the daughter of his best friend Theo (Thomas Bo Larsen – The Wave, television’s Follow the Money), and one of the little girls at the daycare that employed Lucas. Played exquisitely by the young Annika Wedderkopp, Klara, who, in a moment of betrayal and anger, fabricates a story in which she says Lucas exposed himself to her. Of course, these are serious allegations and must investigated. We wouldn’t expect or hope anyone of any age would make such incriminating accusations. But here was this young girl, who undoubtedly knew the difference between right and wrong (I’m not sure that I would have if I were her age), who described, in meticulous detail, Lucas’s actions. 

the hunt movie still

The genuine Lucas continues his day-to-day life while these investigations occur unbeknown to him. His warm demeanor and reserved warmth suggest that he is anything but a pedophile. But, of course, we all know that sometimes those we least expect are often the ones we should suspect the most. In the case of The Hunt, there is no ambiguity. Lucas is not guilty of these crimes, and that, in itself, is not a spoiler to this film. When he is made aware of these, he does not receive the specificity of what his accuser said he did or who his actual accuser was. He is told to go home for a few days while the dust settles. His life quickly unravels as the false accusations gain their own life, even after his original accuser recants her statement. Pretty soon, other students in the daycare are giving the same story, and soon, the authorities are brought in to interrogate Lucas about the claims of sexual abuse.

It doesn’t matter that he is innocent of these crimes. His innocence means nothing. Even after it is proven, without a doubt, that Luas did not commit these crimes, the damage has already been done. The community that previously embraced him now completely shuns him. The same friends with whom he used to spend his time drinking are now forbidding him to come to their homes. He is not permitted to shop at his local grocery store. The locals go to great lengths to make him pay for the heinous things that one little girl says he did. He is treated like a criminal and forced to feel guilty about crimes he never committed. This is where Mikkelsen shines. The accusations could have happened to anyone. Why would a child lie? In the case of this movie, Klara lets the audience know why, but not any of the characters in the film. But, again, none of that matters. She accused Lucas of something he didn’t do, and, as a result, his life is forever changed.

the hunt movie still

Lucas refuses to leave his community. The easiest thing for him would be to move away and start over again. But he wants to be close to his son, and he also knows this is something he shouldn’t have to do. So, when his circumstances become more complicated, Lucas fights back. And he does, though with Vinterberg’s meticulous direction, using the elements of time and space meticulously. Nothing is rushed. Mikkelsen tells as much with his nonverbals (mainly his facial expressions) as his verbals. And certain people stand up for him from the very beginning. He is willing to accept help from some people, but not all. Unfortunately, his relationship with Nadja unravels because Lucas doesn’t know how to effectively process what is happening around him. Lucas goes through the gamut of emotions you would expect from someone accused of such a terrible crime before being exonerated.

The Hunt is very powerful. Nothing is lighthearted or taken for granted. The performances are top-notch, and the story feels real because it can happen to any of us. Even as Lucas is achieving redemption for something he should never have been seeking redemption for in the first place, he is never meant to feel sure. No matter how much evidence is stacked in his favor that he didn’t commit what he was accused of, there are still people who are convinced of his guilt. I never saw The Great Beauty (the movie that beat The Hunt for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, but if I do, I expect it to be great. The Hunt is a great film.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 9.5/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 10/10 (you won’t find better acting. Mikkelsen is fantastic and deserves all the accolades he has received. Not to be overlooked, though, are the incredible performances of six-year-old Annika Wedderkopp, Lasse Fogelstrøm, Alexandra Rapaport, and Thomas Bo Larsen)
Screenplay 10/10 (highly engaging and authentic)
Directing 10/10 (from the film’s opening sequence until its final shot, Vinterberg showed complete mastery of the cinematic art)
Cinematography 10/10 (filmed in the outskirts of a small town in an unknown location in Europe in the winter months, Vinterberg’s crew made us feel as inhospitable as Lucas felt following the allegations against him)
Sound 8.5/10
Hook and Reel 9.5/10 (nearly two hours in length, and you wouldn’t want it to be any shorter for fear that it would ruin the storytelling)
Universal Relevance 10/10 (this could happen to any single one of us. Unfortunately, a mere allegation can have the same effect as the transgression itself)
95.5%

A

Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.