The Hunt (2012)

Poster thanks to Impawards.com

The Hunt is a film directed by Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg, starring Mads Mikklesen. This is Vinterberg's most recognized film, as it was nominated for the 2014 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Mads Mikklesen is a more prominent name in film, especially with his recent stint as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in NBC's Hannibal. Without spoiling the ending, the film is about a nursery school teacher, Lucas (played by Mikklesen), attempting to win custody of his son after a bad divorce. This dream is shattered when he is wrongfully accused of sexually assaulting a little girl. 

I personally have a difficult watching films with sensitive topics, such as this. It isn't just that I feel uncomfortable watching such subjects, but that the film literally makes my skin crawl while watching. Topics such as the holocaust also cause a similar reaction. As such, I tend to avoid films like this entirely. Somehow I was pulled into watching The Hunt. At the close of the film, I was glad I had made it through, and even suggest this movie to viewers in the future. At the start of the film, however, I almost found myself walking away. My anxiety became so great that I, and I sorrowfully admit this, looked up the summary so that I could know the ending before I continued watching. I'm not sure what drove me to do this, but what I read helped me stay in my seat, and even though I spoiled myself, I find that the experience of watching the movie became better for me. 

Mikklesen's performance was incredibly believable and transcended expectation. Thomas Bo Larson, who played Theo, Lucas' best friend, was also outstanding. His performance put his name on the map for me, and I hope to see his future work. These great and established actors aside, I believe the entire show was stolen by Annikka Wedderkopp, who played kindergardener Klara. Not much can be found about Wedderkopp on the internet, although from the film it can be gathered that she is very young indeed. Her youthfulness does not at all hinder the immense performance she gave. As a passionate filmmaker myself, I would love to talk to director Vinterberg to see just how he got such a performance. It is always astounding when child actors walk before a camera and give an explosive performance. Although it can never truly be determined if a child will last long in the industry, I certainly hope to see Wedderkopp resurface.

For me, The Hunt was a film more about character building than about anything else. The semi-soul crushing plot aided the characters changes throughout, and even brought characteristics to light that had otherwise been ignored and laying dormant. I suggest this film to anyone who wants to see incredible acting at the forefront of a movie. B.