The Hunt

Denmark   Mads Mikkelsen

Gripping story of a divorced kindergarten teacher who is accused of molesting a little girl. It's all based on a misunderstanding but skillfully traces the kind of hysteria we've seen in so many real-life cases (cf Capturing the Friedmans). Once accused he becomes a pariah in his small town...he is physically attacked, his dog is killed, etc.

The film works because MM, who is in every scene, pulls us in to his dilemma...what can you say or do that will free you from this stigma? Even when the girl (who was outstanding...on a level with Victoria Thivisol in Ponette) retracts her story no one believes her. All men in the audience sit there wondering what we would do? For a while I was impatient that MM didn't protest more loudly. But I realized it didn't matter what he said...no one believed him.

I had a real problem with the last ten minutes of the film. Two things happened...both of which I thought were ill-conceived. It didn't ruin the film but took away from the overall excellence.

8