Originally, I'd intended this blog to deal primarily with my wrestling exploits, but I'm gonna go ahead and expand the parameters just a little bit, and include a feature on, simply, stuff I like! Anything, really - films, TV shows, restaurants, day-to-day stuff. I was toying with a few names, but finally settled on 'I Heartily Endorse...', after the Krusty the Klown line in The Simpsons ("I heartily endorse this event or product.") So, to kick off my first 'I Heartily Endorse...', is a cracking Danish drama called Jagten (or 'The Hunt'.)
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'The Hunt' stars Mads Mikkelsen, who had impressed playing the villainous characters Le Chiffre (from Casino Royale) and, more notably, Hannibal Lecter in the TV series Hannibal. Mikkelsen really shows his range here, playing sympathetic protagonist Lucas, a man accused of an appalling crime.
The plot concerns Mikkelsen's character, Lucas - a divorced father of a teenaged son- who is now assisting in a local kindergarten, after the secondary school he was teaching at closed down. Though he has friends and a budding relationship with another carer in the kindergarten, Lucas leads a fairly lonely existence. He is a popular figure in the kindergarten, and has a genial, playful rapport with the kids there, in particular with Klara, the young daughter of his best friend, Theo. When he upsets Klara one day, however, she makes an accusation of sexual abuse against him to the kindergarten owner, and events spiral out of control, making Lucas a hated, vilified pariah in his local community.
To say any more would be to do a great disservice to this film. For me, it was one of the better films I've seen in quite some time, and an excellent portrayal of a witch-hunt, and the damage that an accusation of this nature can do to a person's character, and to their life in general.
The performances across the board were superb, not only from the adults Mikkelsen and Thomas Bo Larsen (playing Theo), but also Lasse Fogelstrøm (playing Marcus, Lucas' teenage son) and a remarkable showing from Annika Wedderkopp as Klara, Lucas' accuser, who sets everything in motion.
It's well-written, nicely paced, and brilliantly performed, and does leave a lasting impression. Definitely not comfortable viewing, but that shouldn't be an issue when a film actually has something to say; The Hunt definitely does, and I heartily endorse it.
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