Jagten

Plot synopsis:
Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) is a member of a close-knit Danish community and works at a local kindergarten. Divorced, he struggles to maintain a relationship with his teenage son, Marcus (Lasse Fogelstrøm), who lives with his ex-wife, but enjoys wholesome interaction with the children at the kindergarten. His coworker Nadja (Alexandra Rapaport) makes advances towards him and eventually moves in as his girlfriend.One of the kindergarten pupils is Klara (Annika Wedderkopp), the daughter of Lucas' best friend Theo (Thomas Bo Larsen). Drawing on memory of a pornographic picture her brother showed her, she makes comments that lead the kindergarten director to believe Lucas indecently exposed himself to her. When interviewed with leading questions, Klara gives unclear testimony against Lucas. The adults in the community believe the director's story of abuse, dismissing Klara's later contradictions as denial.Lucas is shunned by the community as a pedophile sexual predator. His friendship with Theo is destroyed, the pressure causes him to break up with Nadja, and his son is publicly ostracised. The kindergarten staff ask leading questions of other children at the kindergarten, who also "admit" to being abused. However, the children's accounts mention details of Lucas's basement, which supports Lucas's innocence, as his house has no basement. After a hearing, he is released without charge.The community is still suspicious of Lucas, and the ostracism turns to violence. His dog, Fanny, is killed, a stone is thrown through his window, and he is beaten by grocery store employees when he tries to buy food. On Christmas Eve, Lucas confronts Theo during a church service. Later, Theo overhears Klara apologizing to Lucas as she drifts off to sleep. His doubts about Lucas' innocence are resolved, and he visits him on Christmas Day with food and alcohol as a peace offering.A year later, tensions in the community have lessened. Lucas and Nadja are in a relationship again, and Lucas' son is accepted into the local hunting society as an adult. On a hunting expedition to commemorate the event, an unseen person shoots at Lucas. Blinded by the setting sun, Lucas is unable to identify his attacker, who reloads but flees.

Tags: dramatic, violence

Review:
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.
Having felt like he was being hunted through a community's narrow rifle scope of understanding, Lucas's idea of hunting is ultimately altered....and believably so.Vinterberg does a masterful job of story telling and in such a way that we hear a morality tale.
The film is hugely engrossing and completely and utterly infuriating, which is a testament to the merits of its acting, direction, script and hyper-realism.The film follows Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen), a lonely primary school teacher who relishes his job and is popular with both the children and the local community.
In Thomas Vinterberg's superb psychological thriller, The Hunt, a town turns on its kindergarten teacher, Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen), from the erroneous testimony of a little girl, Klara (Annika Wedderkopp), who accuses him of molesting her.
I give props to the young actress playing Klara, the girl who makes the false accusation, she was fantastic.Distressing, highly emotional, but unlike an American movie, never over-bearing in its sentimentality, minus one or two slightly cliché metaphors in the dialogue.
Finely and acutely directed by Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg, this finely paced fictional tale which is narrated from multiple viewpoints though mostly from the main character's point of view, draws an instantly involving and profoundly heartrending portrayal of a little girl who after being unintentionally hurt by a well-liked man whom she has a childhood crush on, unknowingly and with only a few words incriminates him by expressing her anger to the head of the kindergarten.
This somewhat romantic, at times humorous, atmospheric and tangible intrigue which has been chosen as Denmark's official submission to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards in 2014 and where a friendship is tested, a hunter becomes the hunted and the question of guilt transforms ordinary people into paranoid Savages, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, subtle character development, mysterious characters, brilliant writing, the tailor-made though distinct and accomplished acting performance by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, the understated acting performance by Danish actor Thomas Bo Larsen and the impressively authentic acting performance by child actress Annika Wedderkopp.
Then a girl from his group makes accusations that he has indecently exposed himself to her; unable to prove his innocence, he is hunted by the entire community, including his childhood friends.A chilling and fundamentally plausible story, but I thought the movie didn't handle it well.
Untypically for director Thomas Vinterberg, who came to acclaim with an eerily similar story (a pater familias is exposed to accusations during a family celebration that he has raped his children), the film didn't come across as credible to me.
It would have been a much better movie with more understatement -- especially, if there had been some doubt in the community, rather than everybody instantly "buying" the accusation (for example, the headmistress of the small Kindergarten says that "children don't lie", which seems ludicrous, especially since she says previously that Klara -- the girl making the accusation -- is prone to telling fibs).
Cruel and Heartbreaking Story about the Destructive Power of a Lie. In a small town in Denmark, the life of the kindergarten teacher Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) turns upside-down and is destroyed when Klara (Annika Wedderkopp), the daughter of his best friend Theo (Thomas Bo Larsen), lies and tells to the director Grethe (Susse Wold) that he showed his sex to her."Jagten" is a Danish-Swedish drama with the storyline of These Three (1936) and The Children's Hour (1961).
"The Hunt," the latest from Thomas Vinterberg, takes a compelling premise but pushes its credibility, and its audience's patience, so far that any impact the film might have had is blunted under the weight of its preposterousness.Mads Mikkelsen plays a kindergarten teacher who is accused by a little girl of exposing himself to her.
Now, with "The Hunt" ("Jagten"), Vinterberg directs a film where quite the opposite happens--a man is accused of sexual abuse but who is 100% innocent.
Had the director always done films denying sexual abuse, folks might have thought him strange but here the brave director allows himself to go in a completely different direction with his movie.In his film, Mads Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a divorced father who works at a kindergarten.
Although I think such a theme is great stuff for older kids and teens to watch with their folks, there are a few graphic scenes that were unnecessary for the film and which would probably make many of these parents not show the movie to their families.
The cast is excellent, with Mads Mikkelsen putting in another mesmerising performance, and the evocative cinematography captures austere but beautiful Danish landscapes and small town life.But perhaps I lost something in translation, for this otherwise standout movie has some frustrating plot flaws I couldn't overlook.
As the hate and abuse begins to mount and with his own girlfriend doubting him, Lucas wonders if his life will ever be the same as he struggles to try and prove his innocence.As besets the calm manner of the Danes, the acting here is beautifully observed and subtly explored in a range of superb performances by the whole cast.
But what The Hunt is really about is perception and how quickly people can turn on someone with a target on them - guilt or no guilt, but especially in the case of not guilty - like with Lucas.Vinterberg expertly sets up this problem by first showing life as (relatively) normal - Lucas is a father in the process of a divorce, has a great group of guy friends (the kind of Denmark/Sweden/etc who come together, sometimes swim naked in the cold, and drink a lot and sing), and is a teacher at a Kindergarten school.
The last act especially is tough to watch as morality is questioned and the mob mentality of a town takes over (not to extreme heights, this isn't Fritz Lang or something, but close enough, realistically enough, just with all those faces).Quiet scenes punctuate a lot of this film, as much as the brutal ones where rage and bewilderment overflow, like shots of someone having to do something tragic in the rain, and it all builds up to something that is hard to watch.
A brilliantly painted portrait of how prejudice can turn even the most decent people into a mindless mob, The Hunt is a provocative study of our ever judgmental society which is always ready to believe anything that gives them a chance to persecute someone without even verifying the accusation or caring about how affecting & damaging it could actually be if the accused turns out to be innocent.Set around Christmas in a small Danish town, The Hunt (also known as Jagten) tells the story of Lucas; a kindergarten schoolteacher in his mid-40s who is admired by his peers, loved by his school children & is friendly with everyone in town.
But his life soon turns upside down when an innocent lie spreads like wildfire throughout the town and does an irrevocable damage to his life, dignity & relationships.Beautifully directed by Thomas Vinterberg, the story isn't concerned with how Lucas proves his innocence but instead focuses on how he deals with the isolation & hostility that comes from his community after the false accusation.
Screenplay deals with a sensitive subject matter but isn't afraid to throw uncomfortable questions at its audience, while all its technical aspects are executed in a very serene manner.Coming to the acting department, this is Mads Mikkelsen's show all the way for the actor delivers the finest work of his short but admirable career with a performance that perfectly captures Lucas' plight & his Best Actor win at Cannes for this role was a well-deserving one.
Also bringing further solidity to this aspect is the young Annika Wedderkopp who plays Klara; daughter of Lucas' best friend.But the most powerful thing about The Hunt is that it puts up some very difficult questions in front of us & isn't afraid to ask for an answer.
It shows us that children are indeed capable of saying the stupidest things without any idea of what it can do to someone's life & reputation and how society always believes their version of truth without even looking for any evidence because in their eyes, children don't lie.On an overall scale, The Hunt is a wonderfully directed, skilfully written, vividly photographed, smoothly edited & calmly scored cinema that's impressive, thought-provoking & potent in every way, is one of the finest films to come out from Denmark, manages to maintain a strong grip on our emotions from start to finish, really makes its viewers connect with Lucas' predicament, and is scarier than your average horror flick.
This film creates an amazing emotion or feelings for an innocent man and makes you suffocated.A superb movie.
I really love the silence of that movie and the personality of the leading character- "Lucas".Thank you so much Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm for such story and direction..
That's what makes 'The Hunt' so superior - it manages to emphasize that a community which ignores a single person's rights can easily deteriorate, and that - in the end - we're all as vulnerable as the protagonist is: any accusation from whatever angle may lead to ostracizing and social death.If there's one slight weakness to the film, it's its very perfection.
During the scenes, I have felt different types of feelings and emotions: joy, trust, anticipation, anger, sadness, disgust, surprise.I have learned a few things from this film, about people and the way they interact.
***may contain a spoiler***...can certainly destroy...The Hunt (Jagten in Danish) is about a kindergarten teacher named Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) after a messy divorce is getting his life back together though having problems with his ex while entering a new relationship with Nadja (Alexandra Rapaport).
However, since the lie is seen as the truth, the adults think she's experiencing a case of Stockholm Syndrome or lying because she feels some sympathy towards her accuser.Besides showing how a child's little lie after being taken as a truth by everyone directly and indirectly involved, it also demonstrated how an accusation could instantly effect the alleged abuser and his family thus changing their lives throughout the course of the film.
Mads Mikkelsen in the role of Lucas shows the moveigoer (especially during the heart-stopping conclusion of The Hunt) that he always will forever be the victim of little girl's innocence lie never caring that he was justly vindicated by the truth and court.
This actor wonderfully demonstrated a wide range of emotions from disbelief and anger (when being accused of the alleged crime) to frustration and hopelessness (after being acquitted of all wrong) and more while remaining relatively calm for the sake of his son ...especially when someone viciously murders the family dog.In The Hunt, there seems to be three sides to the truth - Klara's, Lucas' and what the director reveals during the course of the movie.
And (without trying to give too much away) through the use of the minor characters towards the end, he also gave you the sense that some were able (a) to forgive and forget, (b) forgive but not forget or (c) still hold a grudge ...from afar.If you want to see a thought-provoking drama and don't mind reading subtitles (though there are moments when it's in English), SouthSide highly recommends checking The Hunt (which has a limited theater viewing run)..
I still think it's more concerned with sympathy than empathy at times, but there is a boldness to this approach which will hopefully see the film appeal to a wider audience.Mads Mikkelson excels as the schoolteacher, Lucas, who in a single month goes from kids' favourite to community outcast, after the daughter of his best friend accuses him of sexually abusing her.
That alone is a sign of great writing and directing, and that is of great credit to Thomas Vintenberg and Tobias Lindholm for crafting a consistent tightly-knit story revolving around such a touchy subject, and to those wondering about the name, it very nicely reflects the phrase "witch-hunt", which is what people are doing in the film.As you've probably read/heard by now, the story is about a teacher who is falsely accused of a horrendous act.
One can say that the way the ending skipped over a period of time was a bit lazy in writing, and it maybe got a bit sappy, but if you think about what happens at the very end, all of that is very well justified because it was to conveys a certain message which you, the viewer, may interpret different than others (do not mistake this, though, as one of those open-endings some films do, not that that is necessarily bad but is usually done out of laziness and lacks thought and effort).Another thing worthy of note is the cinematography and shot composition.
"The Hunt" is a danish film which I think that it's one of the best films that Mads Mikkelsen has played.Mads Mikkelsen (Lucas) plays as a divorced teacher who lives a lonely life and he has some problems with his ex-wife that impacts to their son.
After that his life is going to be better for some time as he finds the love from his son but all of these are going to change when something else happen.I think that "The Hunt" is a very good film and I have to say that Mads Mikkelsen performance was really great.
The story is a simple one, a man, a teacher, is wrongly accused os sexually misconduct with a young child and his community, filled with old friends and acquaintances, turn on him and make his life a living hell.
Jagten (2012) Director Thomas Vinterberg tells a story of a kindergarten teacher, who is accused with an innocent little lie by one of his pupils.
You need actors like Mads Mikkelsen to convey the story and be able to portray all the facets of his character.The kid actors in this are very important too and as is said in the making of, none were told the whole truth or what the implications might be.
However, unlike Festen, this movie deals with the horrible consequences for a decent man being accused of child abuse.The film is hard and cold, never shying away from showing the horrendous journey that lies ahead for the blameless main character Lucas.
So approachable, in fact, that children come to him for solace, comfort, and even assistance using the restroom.One particular child, his best friend's daughter Klara (Wedderkopp), looks to Lucas to fill a role that her own parents haven't been filling (which makes sense considering how much they fight).
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.The critical consensus states, "Anchored by Mads Mikkelsen's sympathetic performance, 'The Hunt' asks difficult questions with the courage to pursue answers head on." Very much the case.
I certainly think this is an important topic to make a film about, and it does throw some interesting light on the way adult relationships are affected by children in various ways (specifically in small Danish rural communities, I suppose, but I'd say the themes are pretty universal).But once The Hunt got going, there was almost nothing in it which took me remotely by surprise.
After the main action begins, assuming you have read a one-sentence synopsis of the film, you can pretty much always guess what will happen at any time by asking yourself "what is the worst decision Lucas could make right now which is nonetheless fairly reasonable from his point of view?" More generally, you might ask "what plausible outcome from this scene would be the worst for Lucas's case or position?" Just like water flowing downhill, you can pretty much foretell where the entire film is going to go from the beginning right out until way in the end of the fourth act.Now, I don't need every movie I like to be some kind of sui generis bolt from the blue that makes me see cinema in a whole new light.
Offering an interesting insight in to criminal sexual abuse cases, and shows how carefully these sort of cases have to be treated.Director Thomas Vinterberg's story follows the case of a male kindergarten teacher played by Mads Mikkelsen who has falsely been accused of sexually abusing young children.
The performances in the film for me were unquestionably great, with Mads Mikkelsen's powerhouse performance being simply breath taking with every emotion played to perfection and timed perfectly.If i had one small critic of the film is that i buy the community turning on the lead character but it is his colleagues acceptance of the accusations is what bothered me.
Not many films capture my upmost attention like Thomas Vinterberg's 'The Hunt'.Mainly following the eyes of the main character, Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen), we witness his daily life of loneliness and struggle to gain custody of his son, Marcus (Lasse Fogelstrom).
The movie does not put you in to the prospective of the protagonist and his feelings but instead it puts you into the lives of several other characters their perspective on the incident as well.Most interesting conclusion I came is that at the end of the film, it is hard to blame anyone because the way people look at things is different from one to another..
The Hunt or Jagten is the first film I've seen, as far as I'm aware, that stars Mads Mikkelsen.
This film tells the story of Lucas (played by Mads Mikkelson), a divorced kindergarten teacher who appears to have his life in shape.