The Hunt, Cert 15, 115 mins - review

Much praise has been heaped on this new art-house drama from Thomas “Festen” Vinterberg. Don’t believe the hype.

Mads Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a kindergarten teacher, living in rural Denmark. A handsome saint, our hero is adored by his male friends and teenage son, yet his desirability seems to provoke anger and jealousy amongst the town’s womenfolk.

His alternately vicious and weepy ex-wife loathes him, while the passive-aggressive nursery head proves all too ready to listen to a claim by a young girl, Klara, that Lucas has behaved inappropriately. Klara’s judgmental mother follows suit.

Essentially, three hysterical females use the issue of child abuse to try to destroy the sacred bonds of loyalty that exist between men. Real men.

But it’s the film that’s hysterical. The amount of physical abuse heaped on Lucas defies belief. And, to borrow a line from Wilde, you’d need a heart of stone not to laugh at the fate of his dog (who, believe it or not, is called Fanny).

It’s right and proper that directors take aim at smug liberal values. Unfortunately, Vinterberg’s vision of a modern-day witch-hunt lacks any kind of rigour. A misogynistic little soap opera, it’s beautifully acted, yes, but silly to the bone.