The Hunt

The Hunt (Jagten, 2012) is a Danish drama directed by Thomas Vinterberg — watch it online on iFILM. Kindergarten teacher Lucas, played by Mads Mikkelsen, is slowly putting his life back together after a difficult divorce: his teenage son is coming around, a new relationship is starting, and for the first time in years things feel manageable. Then a child says something she barely means.

Klara, the young daughter of Lucas's closest friend Theo, utters a few words that the adults around her interpret as evidence of abuse. The rumor spreads through their small Danish town faster than any investigation could follow. Lucas loses his job. The supermarket turns him away. Friends he has known for decades stop meeting his eyes. Vinterberg keeps the camera close and the pacing deliberate — this is not a thriller about guilt or innocence, but a study of how a community destroys one of its own.

Mads Mikkelsen won Best Actor at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival for this role. The film was Denmark's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Produced by Zentropa Entertainments and Film i Väst. Watch The Hunt (2012) online on iFILM.