Exclusive: Powerful 3-Minute Clip From Cannes Winner 'The Hunt' Starring Mads Mikkelsen

nullIn the dead middle of the summer blockbuster season, it can be easy to forget what it feels like to be genuinely moved, provoked and captivated by a film. It can feel like anytime you buy a ticket, you merely have to sit back and brace yourself for the visual and aural onslaught of whatever big tentpole is opening that weekend. But here and there over the summer months, the arthouse has been providing fare with much more substance and power, and one movie that should fill the need for anyone searching for searing drama is Thomas Vinterberg‘s “The Hunt.”

The picture stars Mads Mikkelsen (perhaps best known stateside for his roles in “Casino Royale” and “Hannibal“) as Lucas, a mild-mannered kindergarten teacher who faces the scorn and wrath of his small town community when he’s falsely accused of molesting one of his students. In this exclusive 3-minute clip, we see his character when he first learns of the charges leveled against him, and as you’ll notice, he never comes right out and denies them. But as we noted in our review, there is “no did-he-didn’t-he tricksiness. Instead we know from the outset that Lucas is innocent of the charges laid against him, and so we get to experience his hurt, his incredulity, his incomprehension at his gradual alienation from friends and ostracisation from the community.” 

What follows is a study of how a small town is gripped in a groupthink mentality, assuming the worst, and the suffering Lucas faces with each passing day. It’s a tough film, but for many at The Playlist, a powerful and rewarding watch, featuring a helluva turn from Mikkelsen (who won Best Actor at Cannes last year for his efforts) in a movie that will definitely get you talking. “The Hunt” opens on July 12th. Watch below.