The Hunt
A beloved kindergarten teacher is cast out by his Danish town after a child's imaginative lie ignites a devastating wave of suspicion.
Overview
A gripping tale of innocence lost and a man's fight for redemption in a small town.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- harrowing
- oppressive
- intimate
- serious movie night
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Thomas Vinterberg's tense, nuanced direction and Mads Mikkelsen's sympathetic performance in a challenging examination of communal hysteria and false accusation.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Lucas becomes an outcast as parents and townspeople unite around Klara's accusation before establishing what happened.
The apparently secure Danish town gradually reveals hostility and savagery beneath its everyday routines.
Lucas must fight to recover his reputation and social belonging after Klara's lie identifies him as a suspected pedophile.
Klara's statement is presented as an imaginative lie while the community treats it as decisive evidence against Lucas.
Films like The Hunt, and why
Doubt
A psychologically intense study of communal suspicion and moral panic surrounding an accused outsider.
The Crucible
Shares a focus on social pressure, false accusation, and the destructive consequences of collective judgment.
The Guilty
A tense Scandinavian drama examining a community's response to alleged wrongdoing and the fragility of trust.
The Celebration
Like The Hunt, it uses restrained realism and escalating social hostility to explore the danger of prejudice.
Movie Details
- Director
- Thomas Vinterberg
- Release Date
- 2012-10-25
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 8.1 / 10 (5001)
Cast
- Mads Mikkelsen
- Thomas Bo Larsen
- Annika
- Lasse Fogelstrøm
- Susse Wold
- Anne Louise Hassing
- Lars Ranthe
- Alexandra Rapaport
- Sebastian Bull Sarning
- Steen Ordell Guldbrandsen
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Hunt about?
- A beloved kindergarten teacher is cast out by his Danish town after a child's imaginative lie ignites a devastating wave of suspicion.
- What is The Hunt like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Hunt as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Hunt violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Hunt as mild.
- What did critics think of The Hunt?
- Critics broadly praised Thomas Vinterberg's tense, nuanced direction and Mads Mikkelsen's sympathetic performance in a challenging examination of communal hysteria and false accusation.
- Which films are like The Hunt?
- Films with a similar feel include Doubt, The Crucible, The Guilty, and The Celebration.
- How long is The Hunt?
- The Hunt runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Hunt?
- In United States, The Hunt streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
