The Hunt (2012)
"Jagten" (original title)

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.

Director:

Thomas Vinterberg

Writers:

Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg

Stars:

Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 10 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mads Mikkelsen	...	Lucas
Thomas Bo Larsen	...	Theo
Annika Wedderkopp	...	Klara
Lasse Fogelstrøm	...	Marcus
Susse Wold	...	Grethe
Anne Louise Hassing	...	Agnes
Lars Ranthe	...	Bruun
Alexandra Rapaport	...	Nadja
Ole Dupont	...	Godsejer / Advokat
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rikke Bergmann	...	Cashier at the Convenient Store
Katrine Brygmann	...	Kirsten
Allan Wibor Christensen	...	Butcher's Assistant
Nina Christrup	...	Bruun's First Sister
Daniel Engstrup	...	Johan
Josefine Gråbøl	...	Kindergarden Teacher

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.

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Plot Keywords:

love | lie | cannes winner | one word title | gossip | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content including a graphic image, violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish English Polish

Release Date:

10 January 2013 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

The Hunt

Filming Locations:

Høje Taastrup Church, Taastrup, Denmark

Box Office

Budget:

$3,800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film i Väst, Zentropa Entertainments

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Quotes

[subtitled version]
Lucas: What are you saying? Have you got something to say me?
Agnes: stop it, Lucas.
Lucas: you want to tell me something?
Theo: relax, Lucas
Lucas: the whole town is listening . tell me! what do you want to say?
Agnes: stop it, you fucking psychopath!
Lucas: I want a word with Theo. look into my eyes. look me in the eyes. what do you see? do you see anything? nothing. There's nothing. There's nothing. you leave me alone now. you leave me alone now, Theo. Then I'll go. Thank you.

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Connections

Featured in Pauw & Witteman: Episode #7.24 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Moondance"
Written by Van Morrison
Performed by Van Morrison

User Reviews

The narrative's genius embeds observer-effect with great accuracy — unforgettable masterpiece.

Consider first the setting. It may be quiet and idyllic, but merry laughter and droll humor open the scene.

A group of middle-aged manboys are clowning around by the lake. They are long-time friends of The Hunt's central character, Lucas — bespectacled 42 year old ex-professor, recently divorced and too old to be waddling in the water like a toddler at playtime.

But the time is November in this unknown Danish village and everyone is having a good time in yet another get-together. Friends have known each other for years, people know people on a first name basis, many have lived here for generations and Lucas, is just another face in this jolly, close-knit community — nondescript and mellow, respected and well-liked.

We are told that Lucas (played with artful and refined precision by Mads Mikkelsen) is not without the woes that come with modern adult life. Living alone and seeking custody of teenage son Marcus (newcomer Lasse Fogelstrøm), he is an ordinary man trying to rebuild from ground up as a kindergarten teacher. Immediately you can see that he is kind and friendly because Lucas walks young Klara home, and chats with her father, also his best friend, Theo. The two men share lasagna while fussing over pet dogs and hunting rifles. You acknowledge that Lucas has earned his place in this neighborhood and relationships are in complete accord.

Then the maiming of his middle-class existence begins.

Klara develops a schoolgirl crush and puerile gestures are sensibly rebuffed. Nothing unpredictable or startling at this point. You've heard of such awkward incidents before. But Lucas is then accused of something he did not commit because Klara said something to avenge an earlier rejection.

This is where The Hunt succeeds with penetrating insights into social phenomenon — soon after she causes harm, Klara attempts to recant the accusation without success. Here, writer-director Thomas Vinterberg absolves Klara from absolute blame and sets the stage for unreasonable and sinister conclusions.

Watching the film from here on out is an unforgettable and riveting experience.

It is natural to assume The Hunt simply alludes to the concept of "Witch Hunt", and contents itself with being dramatized fiction about falsely accusing the innocent. But if that were so, the brilliant scene where Klara was interviewed would not have alarmed with its disturbing methodology.

The narrative's genius embeds observer-effect with great accuracy and insight into expectations of Klara, and her subsequent reaction. Vinterberg denies us simple solutions in which adults are perceptive enough to decipher the truth.

For example, Ole the counselor, ushered in from an unknown organization is scruffy and slightly unkempt. Characteristically unlikable, he wears an implicit stereotype on his face and contaminates Klara's testimony by coaxing with a few hints, "Do you remember, if something white came out?"

She stares blankly, yet revulsion grows and collective hysteria spreads — allowing The Hunt to reveal itself as a carefully executed masterpiece. The clues match only because suggestive prompts are pushing the limits of disturbing reality.

The canvas is visually precise; casting is pitch-perfect (especially that of Annika Wedderkopp in her excellent portrayal of Klara) and the script is cautiously penned.

Based on transcripts of police interrogations conducted on suspected pedophiles in Denmark, the US and several European countries; Vinterberg investigates cause-effect with chilling authenticity.

There is no doubt that The Hunt is antithesis to "Festen", an earlier work depicting the same subject matter but don't be mistaken — this film does not involve itself with controversial material for the sake of obligatory endorsements.

Relentless and intense plot is enriched by characters reacting with protective instincts that come naturally simply because they care for one another. We see the internal worlds of Lucas, Theo, Marcus and Klara, and observe the impact of rotten dynamic unfolding before our very eyes. This forces us, spectators with an omniscient view to sit-up and question judgment using rational exactitude.

Short analysis of the ending >>> The Hunt is a superb, penetrating study of human agency and in the end, some mysteries remain unknowable. There are several narratives attempting to interpret the final scene, and who the shooter really is. This person may very well be the same culprit who killed Fanny. Is it Klara's older brother, who has demonstrated protectiveness over her? Perhaps a disgruntled retail assistant from the grocery store? Maybe a figment of Lucas's anxious imagination from knowing life can easily cast him from the status of a hunter to that of a prey?

These questions continue to linger because The Hunt's technical finish is open-form and resists finite closure. The image of an unknown rifleman, indistinct and in hiding is a conveyor of figurative conclusions. By doing such, Vinterberg employs artistic device to suggest that attitudes may be outwardly placid, but remain violent and embittered covertly. Just as it is with real life, some hostility can't be neutralized and a malevolent presence continues to loom over the horizon, willing to perpetuate an abyss of moral panic.

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