The thing about Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt that you should know is that there's no "twist" or big revelation. There's no real ambiguity about whether or not Lucas touched or 'showed' himself to little Klara, the daughter of Lucas' best friend. If there were, this might be a very different movie - perhaps even one that leaned on being dishonest with the audience about the 'did he or didn't he' intentions. It's clear enough early on that Klara isn't telling the whole truth when she mentions to one of the other Kindergarten workers about the "rod" that stands up (meaning the penis), but it doesn't mean she's exactly lying either, just confused in that way that little kids who don't know anything about sex might be if, say, shown a very brief image of a "rod". So there's that. 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. Nothing is shown with any heightened drama, all the cuts to someone in a moment are to show the progression of a moment or a scene - closer to documentary than anything, at least at first - and this helps make the mood past any melodrama for what's to come. Or, if there may be melodrama ahead, it won't be circumspect for the audience: real families in a small town, really close-knit, Church-going, loving, pleasant... and underneath is a whole lot of fear, which can switch to anger, resentment, and horror.
Mikkelson is great in the role, and he may be surprising for those who haven't seen him as a villain in other films (he was a Bond villain once, or if he wasn't he will be someday), as well as the title role of Hannibal Lector on the recent TV series. I haven't seen that show yet, but even if I had it wouldn't change how he works in this film. Could there be any hint in his performance of any evil or misdeeds capable of him? Not far as we can see, though there is that scene where Lucas is first brought in to his superior's office and told of the accusation made. Watch his body language, how his face looks and reacts to this. It could look either way - for the person looking for it, he smacks his lips, he quivers just slightly, he doesn't come out and say 'I didn't do it', but we should know that he didn't. But does the other character know? With something like child molestation?
The topic is so hot-button, whether it's more in the United States or over in Denmark I can't tell, but the safety (and reliability) of a child is such a crucial thing in daily life that it makes for such powerful, potent stuff for The Hunt, as the accusation spirals out - are there other kids(!) just by nightmares and headaches who can tell - and ruins his life, whether he's found guilty or (especially) not. 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. I mean that as a compliment, though it should be said that this is the kind of film I'm not sure I can watch very soon again: it strikes such resonant chords and presents its characters so honestly, the ones looking for grace and those who just cannot, that it's hard not to feel shaken up after it.
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. Nothing is shown with any heightened drama, all the cuts to someone in a moment are to show the progression of a moment or a scene - closer to documentary than anything, at least at first - and this helps make the mood past any melodrama for what's to come. Or, if there may be melodrama ahead, it won't be circumspect for the audience: real families in a small town, really close-knit, Church-going, loving, pleasant... and underneath is a whole lot of fear, which can switch to anger, resentment, and horror.
Mikkelson is great in the role, and he may be surprising for those who haven't seen him as a villain in other films (he was a Bond villain once, or if he wasn't he will be someday), as well as the title role of Hannibal Lector on the recent TV series. I haven't seen that show yet, but even if I had it wouldn't change how he works in this film. Could there be any hint in his performance of any evil or misdeeds capable of him? Not far as we can see, though there is that scene where Lucas is first brought in to his superior's office and told of the accusation made. Watch his body language, how his face looks and reacts to this. It could look either way - for the person looking for it, he smacks his lips, he quivers just slightly, he doesn't come out and say 'I didn't do it', but we should know that he didn't. But does the other character know? With something like child molestation?
The topic is so hot-button, whether it's more in the United States or over in Denmark I can't tell, but the safety (and reliability) of a child is such a crucial thing in daily life that it makes for such powerful, potent stuff for The Hunt, as the accusation spirals out - are there other kids(!) just by nightmares and headaches who can tell - and ruins his life, whether he's found guilty or (especially) not. 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. I mean that as a compliment, though it should be said that this is the kind of film I'm not sure I can watch very soon again: it strikes such resonant chords and presents its characters so honestly, the ones looking for grace and those who just cannot, that it's hard not to feel shaken up after it.