The Hunt (2012)

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 (screenplay), Thomas Vinterberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp

Top Rated Movies #92 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 37 wins & 69 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Sebastian Bull Sarning	...	Torsten
Steen Ordell Guldbrand Jensen	...	Lars T
Daniel Engstrup	...	Johan
Troels Thorsen	...	Bent
Søren Rønholt	...	Big Carsten
Hana Shuan	...	Tiny
Jytte Kvinesdal	...	Inger

Storyline

Lucas is a Kindergarten teacher who takes great care of his students. Unfortunately for him, young Klara has a run-away imagination and concocts a lie about her teacher. Before Lucas is even able to understand the consequences, he has become the outcast of the town. The hunt is on to prove his innocence before it's taken from him for good.

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Plot Keywords:

kindergarten teacher | hunt | gunshot | punched in the face | false accusation of child abuse | 

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Taglines:

The lie is spreading.

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is Thomas Vinterberg's second film to be featured in the IMDb Top 250. The first was The Celebration (1998).

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Goofs

After Theo is hit by Lucas in the church he has a black eye. The same night he visits his daughter Klara in her bedroom his eye is normal again. Later Theo visits Lucas and his injury is visible again.

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Quotes

Bruun: It's common for children to describe non-existing details. I don't know if it's their imagination, or they pick it up from each other or from their parents. It's always assumed that children tell the truth And unfortunately, very often they do...

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Connections

References Casino Royale (2006)

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Soundtracks

In the Bleak Midwinter
Lyrics by Christina Georgina Rossetti (as Rossetti)
Music by Gustav Holst (as Holst)
[performed by] The Worcester Cathedral Choir (as Worcester Cathedral Choir)
(p) Naxos Danmark

User Reviews

It's like a really messed up episode of Kids Say the Darndest Things.

I just saw The Hunt at the New Zealand International Film Festival and I walked out speechless. The Hunt has such a difficult story to tell but the film makers never go too far with little exposition. The film doesn't take one side over another, making the point that there isn't really any "bad guys" in the film, just people on opposite sides of one coin. The script is shocking, tragic and at times funny. The film is very intimately shot with an almost documentary approach. The film is mostly shot hand-held, giving you the feeling of realism. The camera likes to get in close and hold on the actors eyes and it is the eyes that tell the story. Most of the story is told through what was not being said, but instead with looks and pauses. Mads Mikkelsen is stunning as always as the man accused of sexual abuse. He plays the role with such sensitivity to the character but always keeps you guessing throughout the film. Annika Wedderkopp plays the role of the innocent young girl to perfection, again always keeping you guessing. Their relationship being one of the most interesting I've seen on film this year. If I had one complaint it would be that the main plot ends quite abruptly, not leaving me fully satisfied before it goes into the epilogue. The Hunt is drama at its best with beautiful performances from the entire cast. It is hard to explain how great this film is without giving away spoilers but the film gives no clear answers for such a difficult subject and it makes you ask yourself, what would I do?

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Denmark Sweden

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)

Opening Weekend USA:

$43,045, 14 July 2013

Gross USA:

$613,308

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,843,274

Company Credits

Production Co:

Danmarks Radio (DR), Det Danske Filminstitut, Eurimages

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1