Jagten

Plot

A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son's custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an innocent little lie.

Release Year: 2012

Rating: 8.2/10 (24,101 voted)

Director: Thomas Vinterberg

Storyline

A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son's custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an innocent little lie.

Writers: ,

Details

Official Website:
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Language: , ,

Release Date:

Filming Locations: Høje Taastrup Church, Taastrup, Denmark

Box Office Details

Budget: $3,800,000

(estimated)

Technical Specs

Runtime:
115 min

Goofs:

After Theo is hit by Lucas in the church his eye is blue. The same night he visits his daughter Klara in her bedroom his eye is normal again. And after that Theo visits Lucas and his eye is blue again. See more »

Quotes:

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User Review

Author:

Rating: 10/10


"The Hunt" is the latest unflinching drama from Danish auteur Thomas
Vinterberg. Co-written with Tobias Lindholm, this is an ambitious star
vehicle for legendary actor Mads Mikkelsen, an icon in Denmark and
familiar face around the world as well. He plays Lucas, a small-town
kindergarten teacher. At its heart the story is ultimately a powerful
comment on prejudice, based on true incidents, that may leave you
emotionally drained but truly moved.

To delve into the plot here would reveal too much. So I'll just say
that the film is quite dark and deals with some very difficult subject
matter that can be very hard to watch at times. I'll leave it to you to
decide if you want to be more aware of the details by looking up a
basic synopsis.

This is essentially a one-man show. While supporting cast members are
all up to the challenge, Lucas is on on screen virtually every moment
of the movie and its overall success rises or falls on his
believability. Mikkelsen's delicately underplayed characterization of a
man under fire likely won't be appreciated or understood by all
viewers. His restrained performance is remarkable and does much to make
The Hunt a haunting, memorable experience. Among the children, Annika
Wedderkopp's portrayal of Klara is frighteningly brilliant. She steals
every scene she's in.

The physical beauty of the production belies the ugliness beneath.
Natural lighting is used to match the heights and depths of the
kindergarten children's emotions. Their innocence is reflected in its
intensity. When surrounded by love, they are glowing. The color palette
is warm and inviting. As fear rises, they appear in shadow. The tableau
turns increasingly darker as the narrative does.

This is a very quiet and thoughtful experience in many ways. Nikolaj
Egelund's score is sparse. Editors Janus Billeskov Jansen and Anne
Østerud keep the pace measured and deliberate. The focus is on the
story. Long takes without dialogue are quite effective as so much is
said in the eyes, in the faces, of Lucas, the kids, and townsfolk.
Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen allows the lush landscape
of the Danish countryside to lull the viewer into a sense of peace, in
contrast with the turmoil just under the surface, ready to jump out
like a demon in a horror film. But these are real life nightmares, not
the product of a genre writer's imagination, which chill to the bone.

Hollywood could never touch this subject and have anywhere near the
impact. Backed independently by Swedish and Danish production
companies, director Vinterberg actually intended to set and shoot the
picture in Canada but better tax incentives and financing led him back
to his native country of Denmark. It doesn't matter, though. This is
the kind of isolated little village that can be found anywhere in the
world.

"The Hunt" was easily the saddest film I've seen all year but in a
cathartic way that only a great work of art can accomplish. It's a
gritty and hard-hitting statement on our judgmental society that pulls
no punches in its recounting of a controversial
ripped-from-the-headlines story, repeated all too often in recent
history, that's both poignant and polarizing in its authenticity.

It was difficult for me to hold back tears during the screening. I
broke down several times. Many will be touched by certain scenes more
than others, but "The Hunt" is one of the most affecting and emotional
films I've ever seen and one of the best of 2012.