I will start my review with the perfunctory comment that this is a nearly perfect film. Also, I will add that, in the Los Angeles area in the 1980's, a case not dissimilar to this took place. The McMartin preschool case victimized a school teacher who was falsely accused and the adults investigating the case had dubious methods of attempting to back up their accusations. Now to the aspect of this story that most interests me: All of the characters in this film are suffering from a degree of self loathing that either comes as a result of the accusations or are the initial reasons for the accusations taking place. To elucidate, I would have to turn this review into a spoiler so I won't cite specific reasons for my conclusion. If I am correct, however, this is one of the only films I've ever seen that so vividly shows the internal holocaust that takes place when love is taken from us, how we turn our anger towards ourselves. What was particularly amazing to me is that the protagonist managed to maintain his self respect as long as he did. Ultimately, though, The Hunt concludes that self hatred (and nearly mystical paranoia) is unavoidable when our sources of support have been stripped from us.
Review of The Hunt
