The Hunt (Jagten) – Thomas Vinterberg, 2012

Thomas Vinterberg’s latest social-drama thriller The Hunt marks the auteur’s return to the theme of trust and friendship as well as family abuse in a closed community. Unlike The Celebration (Festen, 1998), in which these themes are exposed quickly in an event, The Hunt builds up its intoxicating atmosphere through its slow pace and time shift.

Shot in a small town in Denmark, the film shows Mads Mikkelsen leaving behind his red-eye, sleek hair appearance in Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006) to portray the lonely quiet teacher Lucas. A divorcee, he wants nothing more desperately than having his son Marcus back. Just when luck seems to dawn on him as Marcus decides to move in, a wrongly-phrased statement from five-year-old Klara (young talent Annika Wedderkopp) in the nursery puts Lucas in the centre of hatred and doubt. As he tries to clear himself of sexual abuse claims, his beloved friends and town turn their back on him which questions the real strength of their community bond.

Even though the motif of the misunderstood hero and the suspecting crowd is no longer new, Thomas Vinterberg has his way in constructing a gripping tale of the dark cloud closing in on Lucas. The lives of people are depicted in details, especially the men’s as a separate group: hunting, heavy-drinking, mostly shown in medium shots to close-ups to establish the connection Lucas shares with his fellows. As the rumours arise and the children innocently copy one another’s words, it is this strong connection that puts Lucas in an invisible exile in his own town. The use of contrast is employed but very subtly. The dark shadow of doubt and suspicion in the town is nothing like its background of scarlet autumnal forest and blue twilight lakeside – beautifully captured through the cinematograpy of Charlotte Bruus Christensen. The time the story is set is November. As Christmas draws nearer, the concept of family and friendship seem more and more fragile through the town people’s ruthless execution of their own discrimination towards Lucas. In using the slow pace to narrate the story, not only Vinterberg could reflect the tempo of life in this area, but also allow the audience time to fully immerse in the space of the town. Lucas’ fight for his justice therefore does not consist of confused lawyers and bold statements spoken repetitively. Its silent development springs from the very nature of the town, a place where people trust their intuition rather than ration: a skill proved successful through their deer hunting history. But when the hunt centres around their own friend and fellow, would this be a wise way to act? Thomas Vinterberg slowly brings up the question, summing up this ambiguous story of individual and community.

The story could not have its touch without Mads Mikkelsen’s truthful portrayal of the calm and loving Lucas, unravelling the character’s anger only in the last minutes to bring the injustice of his conviction to the fullest. Thomas Bo Larsen playing his helping friend Theo and Lasse Fogelstrom playing the son Marcus help broadening the picture of the relationship of the characters in the film. Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt does not offer an answer, showing how ambiguity could progress deeply against a beautiful society.