Review of The Hunt (2013) by Maksim B — 23 Nov 2013

The Hunt (Jagten) is a brilliant piece of Scandinavian cinematography, in which emotions are challenged by engrossing and smart script, wonderful performances and a disturbing, but hypnotizing story. Scarier and emotionally more terrifying than many horror movies, this painfully realistic human psychological drama explores the tyranny of the majority, the mentality of the society towards "labeled" individuals and the social and emotion consequences of premature judgments.

More suspenseful than a Hitchcock movie, The Hunt tells the story of the divorced kindergarten teacher Lukas (Mads Mikkelsen), who lives quietly while trying to take custody of his son and re-invent love. His life changes in a night, when he is suspected of sexual abuse of his best friend's daughter. Completely opposite to most of the movies concerning sexual abuse of minors (this time the main character is absolutely innocent), the story becomes more provoking, more gut-wrenching with every further minute. An ordinary, decent life of a normal person is completely shuttered by the society which labels him, excludes him and abuses him. Director Thomas Vinterberg put his audience in an extremely uncomfortable position, as the viewer face the unacceptable, disgusting, but absolutely logical behavior of the local society towards Lukas. It is impossible to talk about "moral of the story" simply because in cases of sexual abuse of children the human heart can never be civilized and tolerant, but the treatment of a completely innocent person in such a way leaves a bitter taste among the viewers.

Apart from the absolutely gripping and shockingly intense story, the performance of Mads Mikkelsen (won the Best Actor Award of The Cannes Festival) is among the most powerful performances in a dramatic movie for the past decade. Shuttered, restrained and left alone, Mikkelsen is extremely successful in conveying the hell which he is going through. With this role he constitutes himself as one of the most diversified European actors, being able to shine in blockbusters like Casino Royale, historical movies as A Royal Affair, experimental one-man show deliveries like Valhalla Rising and now in this gut-wrenching drama.

There are not many cases in which a movie has such a grip on the viewer that he or she only desires to go through the story faster to the end. A movie that will disturb you long after seeing you, The Hunt is one of the most intense and suspenseful dramas you would ever see. An absolute must see!