Review of The Hunt (2013) by Abdullah A — 24 Jul 2015

(Before I start, anyone reminded of The Crucible watching this?) The thing most viewers loved about the film was how great the story was. But something I would like to point out and why I say this film is masterful is because you can analyze this film to its core and it gets better and better - not the other way around - and that is something that you can almost never do with most films. That alone is a sign of great writing and directing, and that is of great credit to Thomas Vintenberg and Tobias Lindholm for crafting a consistent tightly-knit story revolving around such a touchy subject, and to those wondering about the name, it very nicely reflects the phrase "witch-hunt", which is what people are doing in the film.

As you've probably read/heard by now, the story is about a teacher who is falsely accused of a horrendous act. Now, even though that is the key point, what the story is really about is how something as simple as the belief in a child's innocence and a few words can get people to completely turn on a person, no matter how irrational or unfair or evil they are being in doing so, in this fit of mass hysteria and paranoia. It's about how terrible social justice and opinion is, and even worse, how terrible it can be to be on the bad side of it. The film also touches on the relationships between people, especially friendships, and how situations like this put these things to the test. It presents how events like these reveal a certain disgustingly maddening aspect of human nature that you would never really imagine to be there, and in that sense, it becomes a fascinating study on human behavior, and from this spawn the debates of many many viewers attempting to make sense of everything. And all of this is gradually built and developed, immersing you more and more, which is crazy because you already start off very well immersed. Multiple times during the film, you feel like you have reached an ultimate low view of humanity and the peak of passionate rage, and then it keeps going and going! You will be on the verge of tears!

Now this cannot be achieved without near-perfect acting performances from everyone in the cast, not just the main characters. Mads Mikkelson pulls off one of the greatest performances I've ever seen from this type of character. Every line of dialogue he says not only is so well written but is so well reflected in the performance. I can recall many moments during the film wherein the way he acted is exactly how I've seen people in somewhat similar circumstances. And what's so great about both the acting and character of Mads Mikkelson is that he's not just some cliched utterly vulnerable guy. No, he actually has some strength and pride to him, and he won't just take all the bull!@#$ that comes to him. I loved it! There were so many satisfying moments that came of that. Thomas Bo Larson also completely encompasses a best friend who is being internally pulled apart by the situation, and by the time we see him complete his arc, his character is imprinted in the minds of the viewers as one of the great aspects of the film. And as honorable mentions, I have to say that all the child actors felt refreshingly real and EVEN THE DOG! There was especially one scene where you are not even sure if the dog is legit doing what is being seen or is some kind of movie magic being pulled off here.

Now, in this kind of story, the ending is something that writers must do well to avoid being either too unsatisfactory for the viewer or too good to be true. And I'm glad to say that the ending is probably as good as the rest of the film. Part of the genius of the ending is that not only does it leave you thinking about it, but it forces you to reflect back on the entire film, which aside from adding to the mastery of the film, further helps to promote the film as a whole. One can say that the way the ending skipped over a period of time was a bit lazy in writing, and it maybe got a bit sappy, but if you think about what happens at the very end, all of that is very well justified because it was to conveys a certain message which you, the viewer, may interpret different than others (do not mistake this, though, as one of those open-endings some films do, not that that is necessarily bad but is usually done out of laziness and lacks thought and effort). It completes the study of human nature that is this film.

Another thing worthy of note is the cinematography and shot composition. While there were a few moments where the camera wobbled and took the viewer slightly out of the world, the rest of the film is brilliantly filmed and shot. Certain shots are held static and focused on the subject of the shot to add onto the emotion of the scene, and along with the way they are composed, whether the character is being filmed in nature or in a house, fits perfectly in this world set up by the film.

I never expected to be so immersed, so riveted, so emotionally hit by this film, but I was. I was actually nearly in tears at one point. This film will take you through an emotional roller-coaster and will leave you exhausted! I salute Thomas Vintenberg, Tobias Lindholm, and the entire cast for their excellence in this film. What a great film.