By Brooke Schmidt
Correspondent
When it comes to the Oscar nominations, many people fixate on the more well-known categories: Best Actor/Actress, Best Actor/Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Picture. However, many times, gold is found in the lesser-known categories.
“The Hunt” is a film from Denmark that is nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
The movie revolves around Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen), who works at a kindergarten school and is finally getting his life together after separating from his wife.
All attempts to return to normalcy, however, are shattered after false allegations arise claiming that Lucas was involved in pedophilia with one of the kindergarten students (Annika Wedderkopp).
The events in “The Hunt” reminded me of the Salem Witch Trials, because one child claimed pedophilia, and then many of the other kindergarteners soon followed in suit.
Even though the audience knows the allegations made against Lucas are false, the entire town begins to believe the child. Good friends and neighbors turn against Lucas, making his life increasingly more difficult. It was like watching a close, personal friend have to go through such hellish circumstances.
These scenes proved very difficult to watch, and I found myself flinching over and over again at what Lucas had to go through — sometimes I was provoked to the point where I was even yelling at the screen.
I have always been able to tell when I like a movie by how angry or upset it makes me, and if my anger toward the townspeople was any indication, I really liked “The Hunt.”
The acting was superb, making the audience sympathize with Lucas and hope for his happy ending.
The audience was made to become progressively angrier with the townspeople and even the little girl who caused everything to go downhill.
While “The Hunt” may have been difficult to watch, the scenes were shot beautifully, and everything was put together so well that I believe it deserves its current standing in Oscar nominations.
However, since I have yet to see the other nominated films, I cannot say whether it has a high chance of taking home the Oscar.
“The Hunt” is currently available on Netflix, where it can be viewed using English subtitles.
