The avant-garde filmmaking movement known as Dogme 95 was started in 1995 by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg. Their goal was to focus filmmaking techniques on actual story and performances and eschew expensive special effects. Perhaps The Hunt doesn’t adhere to the strict guidelines of a Dogme film, nevertheless, the emphasis on stark reality and raw human emotion is undeniably present.
In this account a beloved day care worker is wrongly accused of sexual abuse by one of his students. Mads Mikkelsen is Lucas, a teacher who is well liked and has many good friends in the tight close-knit community. The rising star won Best Actor at Cannes in 2012 for his understated work here. Recently divorced, he divides his time between his job and taking care of his teenaged son. Due to a recent school closure he is currently working as a kindergarten assistant to Grethe, another teacher. Then one day a disturbing remark is made to Grethe by one of the kids at the school, a little girl portrayed by incredibly natural young actress Annika Wedderkopp.
Virtually every single scene is compelling. The Hunt creates several vignettes in which the characters deal with each situation as it presents itself. An inquiry between an investigator and a student is a textbook example of how NOT to lead an interrogation. Leading questions and false assumptions exist in abundance. An outburst at the Christmas Eve church service is another slack-jawed moment. But the acting is never given to histrionics. The Hunt shows remarkable restraint when detailing this miscarriage of justice. However at times the tension can be a bit frustrating. You keep wanting Lucas to proclaim his innocence more vehemently. His passivity is aggravating. A altercation in a grocery store is admittedly fascinating, but it is also a display in unwise behavior. Lucas, just step outside and call the police already!
The drama that unfolds is an emotional gut-wrenching slow burn exercise in how an investigation is handled in the worst way possible. We know immediately he is blameless so “did he?” or “didn‘t he?” questions are squelched from the start. In this way we side with Lucas and share in his degradation as he becomes the town outcast. Yet the events are never sensationalized. The director allows the audience to carefully examine how a lie becomes the truth. The script constructs a situation that slowly builds into a realistic tragedy of horrific proportions. Misinterpreted remarks and group hysteria are the recipe of this meticulously constructed screenplay. Co-written by director Vinterberg with Tobias Lindholm, the saga deals with similar themes found in Arthur Miller’s 1953 play The Crucible and its depiction of the Salem Witch trials of the 17th century. Sometimes the rush to judgment would rather deem a person guilty until proven innocent. It’s a cautionary tale that could’ve been set anywhere, including here in the U.S. True to the difficult nature of the film, even the ending suggests more problems are on the horizon. Uncomfortable viewing at its best.
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