THE HUNT (2012)

Director:
Thomas Vinterberg

Writer:

Thomas Vinterberg

Tobias Lindholm

Starring:
Mads Mikkelson 
Thomas Bo Larsson
Annika Wedderkopp and others

Thomas Vinterberg's Jagten (The Hunt) is a movie which according to him needed to be made and i concur. His vision is truly mesmerizing and his treatment of a heavy script is light handed and subtle which according to me is the true mark of a great filmmaker.

Now for one the title of the movie is slightly misleading. The Hunt has more of a metaphorical significance than literal. The movie is more of a study of human psyche. The movie unravels slowly but in an assured manner. Mads Mikkelson plays Lucas, a divorcee fighting for the custody of his child Marcus. Now Lucas lives a lonely life till he gets involved with Nadja (Alexandra Rapaport). But his life is turned upside down when an innocent lie gets blown out of proportion.

Now revealing any further plot details will ruin the movie so I will refrain from doing so. Mads Mikkelson is stellar as Lucas and his performance is definitely worthy of an Oscar nomination. The scene in which he attends church on Christmas eve is gut wrenching. He infuses so much into his character that one cannot be blamed if they feel like he is playing himself on screen. Vinterberg's and Lindholm's script is beautifully written and small nuances like Lucas's dog, Fanny always barking on hearing his ex-wife's name are a joy to watch. Even the potshots taken at Lucas's ill fate by his friend Bruun (Lars Ranthe) are in good humour and do add a bit is humour into serious scenes. This movie's final sequence is a testament to Vinterberg's ability to understand human nature. This movie is not to be missed.

Pranit’s Rating: 8.5/10