The Hunt Might Just Be The Scariest Film I've Seen All Year...

Which is odd because it's a Drama, not a Horror film.

But at the end of the day I am just thoroughly impressed with the emotional response this movie managed to pull from me. Such an incredible sense of dread. It's so compelling to witness a movie like this, where the acting is so complete and the world is so well defined you almost don't even need words to understand. Though at times the characters' choices are quite maddening, there is always an honesty there that keeps it feeling legitimate.

Mads Mikkelsen churned out a brutally repressed performance that left me feeling almost numb. It's clear the guy has skills. He harnesses a subtlety that keeps you on your toes, whether it be in a big time blockbuster like Casino Royal or in a more art house project like we get here.

That being said, Annika Wedderkopp was out for blood in her first time acting role... she's only five. Yet there was something shining through her portrayal of little Klara that just inherently dragged me through the worst emotions of the film. If you don't, at one point or another, hate every character in this film for a different reason, I'd be surprised.

At heart, it's a very simple story. But early on, the human element takes over and slowly the simplicity of who these people really are opens up to reveal the animal nature that could hide in anyone willing to be swept away by it. By the end there is a lingering question... can you trust anyone? Or will your perception ever truly be the same?

Here's the thing, I don't want to ruin the premiss for you. If you haven't seen it yet, just watch it. It's on Netflix right now (watch it with English CC subtitles) and has already been a nominee in one awards show (Golden Globes), so it is very plausible it will end up in the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars... assuming Denmark has chosen it for consideration of course.