The Hunt (Jagten) (2012)

Drama

Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Writers: Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Lasse Fogelstrøm

"The lie is spreading."

A piece of effective gripping Danish filmmaking that you won’t forget anytime soon.

Mads Mikkelsen (NBC's Hannibal,  The Salvation) plays Lucas, a well-liked kindergarten teacher living in a close-knit community. When one of his pupils, who also happens to be the daughter if his best friend, untruthfully accuses him of sexual misconduct, things escalate and Lucas finds himself utterly ostracized and dejected, facing unanimous condemnation from everyone around him, including his closest friends.

Directed with brooding power and ruthless precision by Danish Dogme 95 filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg, and a compelling and unforgettable performance from Mikkelsen, Jagten, in our opinion, one of the best films of the year 2013, is a disturbing depiction of how a lie is taken as truth when gossip, doubt and malice are allowed to flourish and ignite a witch-hunt that soon threatens to destroy an innocent man's life.

Plot summary from IMDb: Lucas is a Kindergarten teacher who takes great care of his students. Unfortunately for him, young Klara has a run-away imagination and concocts a lie about her teacher. Before Lucas is even able to understand the consequences, he has become the outcast of the town. The hunt is on to prove his innocence before it's taken from him for good.

Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 43 wins & 54 nominations.
Runtime: 115 min
R