Vital to the success of The Hunt was the decision to show the audience that Lucas was innocent in the first act, setting the tone of injustice and allowing us to invest deeply in his struggle - which I did from the very first scene. Much of the film feels like a greek tragedy, where confusion and chaos slowly infect a group of people and eat away at them all. Indeed this is a case where no one is guilty, and yet a simple lie from a young girl can disrupt the order of things. What was so affecting to me was how it depicted the fragility of our nature, showing that we might only be an accident away from complete moral panic. Because we know Lucas is innocent, this uncertainty appears more detached. Instead of getting wrapped up in wondering if he was guilty, I was able to contemplate deeper questions about how the people react to such a situation. I never found myself defending or endorsing the actions of the community, rather I was just an observer of it all, baffled and fascinated in equal measure.The way director Thomas Vinterberg handled the story was exceptional. After our introduction to the characters and Klara's claim about Lucas, the unraveling begins. The pacing of the film was such that it felt like a domino effect. The claim is initially dealt with professionally by the staff at the nursery, but as more people find out the panic begins to set in and assumptions are made about who else Lucas might have abused. Eventually we are in complete free-fall. Lucas' words fall on deaf ears and even once he is cleared of the charges in court, the damage appears to have already been done. One of the most heartbreaking passages of the film for me was seeing how Lucas' son desperately fights his father's corner, but descends into similar lowly actions against Klara's family, adding to the continuing themes of primal human nature and total chaos. Lucas' refuses to be ostracised despite being put through hell by nearly everyone, culminating in the church scene that I won't spoil, but that lifts the film to Oscar worthy levels in my opinion. The twist ending is yet more confirmation that time will not heal the wounds of doubt and that Lucas might be the victim of this lie indefinitely.
Technically the film is nearly flawless. We are allowed to get to know Lucas quite well in the first act. He is brilliantly depicted as a man of integrity and honesty, who genuinely cares about the children he works with. This makes it all the easier to get behind him when things get rough. The pacing and editing were executed flawlessly. The rural autumnal environment added so much power to the film for me. Juxtaposed settings of the modern European town with the wild hunting grounds seemed to be symbolic of the two sides of human nature that the film tries to embody. As the title suggests, the film is very much about our sensitivity to mere suggestions of evil, and how we may react with an "eye for an eye" mentality when out becomes overwhelming.
Vinterbeg certainly got the best of of his cast. Mads Mikkelsen was simply stunning in this role, turning in a dynamic and charged performance throughout as Lucas - certainly one of the best performances I've seen to date. I liked all the other characters as well, especially the child actors who played both Klara and Marcus. Sometimes foreign language films are harder to engage with, but a testament to The Hunt's quality is how this wasn't the case. The script is so strong that having to read subtitles barely affected how much it drew me in. Ok, so the screenplay is not super complex, but I actually think this worked in it's favour because it allowed the emphasis to be on the visceral emotions of the characters rather than the words they were saying. It was refreshing to see some restraint in this department.
The Hunt is one of the best attempts I've seen to translate a genuine human tragedy into a movie whilst also keeping it engaging to the viewer. 'Kafkaesque' is an overused term, but Lucas' story most definitely feels like it fits in this category. Beyond all that it is simply a fascinating analysis of human nature under chaotic circumstances. Do yourself a favour and check it out!
Acting: 95
Narrative: 95
Visuals: 90
Music: 90
Overall: 93/100
