The Hunt Blu-Ray

THE LIE IS SPREADING

Alongside Lars Von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg (Festen, Far From the Madding Crowd) is one of Danish cinema s finest modern exports. Perhaps his greatest film, The Hunt, is a sublimely orchestrated exercise in tension which features a tour-de-force central performance from Mads Mikkelsen (Rogue One, Casino Royale), who was awarded Best Actor at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for his performance.

Mikkelsen is Lukas, a recently-divorced primary school teacher locked in an acrimonious custody battle over his teenage son but just as his fortunes begin to change with the arrival of a new love his world is torn apart by an innocent lie. Persecuted by his local community, accusations escalate and Lukas soon faces unanimous condemnation from everyone around him, including his closest friends.

Featuring a stellar supporting cast from Danish Film and TV s finest including Thomas Bo Larsen (Pusher), Anne Louise Hassing (The Idiots) and Susse Wold (Unit 1), The Hunt, eschews the rules of Vinterberg and his colleagues filmmaking manifesto Dogme95 for one of the most beautifully photographed and perfectly scripted films in recent years.