Jagten (The Hunt)

Jagten (The Hunt)

 (2013)

A Review by Grant Kanigan

Directed by: Thomas Vinterberg

Written By: Tobias Lindholm & Thomas Vinterberg

Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen

              Annika Wedderkopp

Rating: R

Release Date: July 19th 2013

Mads Mikkelsen in The Hunt

     To North American audiences, Mads Mikkelsen is best known for his roles in which he plays brutal, calculating killers. Mikkelsen has played everyone from the calculating, cold hearted genius Le Chiffre in Casino Royale, the brute mute One Eye in Valhalla, and most recently, Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the television series of the same name. Yet, in The Hunt, in his native tongue, (Danish), Mikkelsen plays the exact opposite; a kind, gentle, subdued and intelligent man, looking to merely keep those around him happy. It's the world that surrounds him in The Hunt that is evil.

     The Hunt follows Lucas, (Mikkelsen), a divorced father of one and kindergarten teacher in rural Denmark. He lives a quiet life, trying to see his son whenever possible, (which is made difficult by a bitter ex-wife), cooking for himself, walking to work, and dropping in on his best friend Theo's house to visit with his family. Working with a nice group of women, Lucas has a quiet, peaceful life. It's not until Theo's daughter, Klara, a student of Lucas, implies that something sinister happened between her and Lucas while they were alone, and shatters Lucas' entire world. 

     In most films that challenge viewers morally and ethically, there is a sense of ambiguity that lets viewers decide for themselves who is really guilty and who isn't; a sense of what justice is deserved. In Vinterberg's The Hunt, this is not so. We know for a fact that Lucas is innocent, but also that there are no witnesses to validate his claims, and that even Klara isn't to blame. It's the faculty at Lucas' school, and a public that is quick to judge. 

    It's early on in The Hunt that Klara's little lie snowballs into tragic vigilantism, but the film isn't so much about what Lucas is accused of, but how quick and thoughtlessly a society can devolve into a barbaric jury of peers. Much like the social media of today, where people are falsely accused of crimes, judged, and found guilty with little to no evidence, Lucas' community jumps to conclusions without hearing any kind of evidence either way. Klara's story is taken as gospel, even when the psychologist and teacher who interview Klara about her lie mistakenly lead their interrogation of her. From the barbarism shown in literature like Lord of the Flies, to  Vinterberg's film, it's fascinating, horrifying and depressing how quickly a group of people can resort to their most primal judgements and actions. The Hunt asks the audience to merely give credence to both sides of the story before making any rulings.

     A story such as The Hunt deserves a slow, thorough exploration. It deals with heavy, extremely disturbing issues, and, although it's a fantastic piece of cinema, it's also a profoundly sad and unsettling film. Mikkelsen, thankfully, is the perfect actor for the job. In his native tongue, Mikkelsen has immense range as an actor, slowly showing his anger towards his innocence and the public's disbelief, and building to a subtle, quiet rage, his acting is Oscar calibre. His performance is the centrepiece of the film, and it's magnificent. The cinematography too, matches the tone of the story. Off colour, and grey, the cinematography highlights the beautiful Danish countryside, while also showing that it hides menace behind it's foggy atmosphere. The final, shocking shots of the film will leave you floored. 

     Overall, this is an original and important film, and is the best foreign film I've seen in ages. The script, cast and cinematography all parallel to make a riveting cinematic experience. The Hunt is a very dark, disturbing, and important film, and will likely make audiences uncomfortable; in a world where we can vilify anyone we want at the click of a button, it's also a film that audiences should feel compelled to watch.

Grant's Rating 5/5

The Hunt Clip: "You're Not Welcome"