The film The Hunt (2012) was nominated for a large number of awards at many film festivals and aroused the audience’s delight and desire to understand what the film was about and why.
Lucas is your average kindergarten teacher, but a little girl’s lies turn his life upside down. Everyone believes her words and, without trial, accuse Lucas of pedophilia. He is persecuted by the whole city, not understanding why little Clara said such a terrible thing about her caregiver. An attentive viewer understands why the baby said these words – her very tiny, immature and completely unconscious love was rejected. Krala, of course, did not fully understand what the consequences awaited Lucas, she could not even imagine what could happen, due to her age. You should not blame her and you need to remember that she is still very young and goes to kindergarten.
To put together the meaning of this film, it is necessary to analyze the character and worldview of the main characters in accordance with their marital status and age.
Clara did not have close contact with her parents – they are constantly busy at work, and if they are at home, they constantly quarrel. It is common for a girl to see how her mother and father quarrel, offend each other. They never paid enough attention to her – instead of raising their daughter, they worked or went about their business, not paying attention to the need for their presence in Clara’s life. The girl was not lucky with her friends either. Everyone whom she considered her friends saw in her some kind of benefit for themselves, their friendly relations were not sincere. In addition, her “friends” were very cruel towards Clara – she could not boast of real friends.
To a girl who grows up, no one pays attention. Feeling the warmth from the tutor Lucas, he understands that here he is, the same person. He is the one with whom you can play, share secrets, he will not betray and will not laugh. The girl reached out with all her heart to Lucas, hoping that he would reciprocate her. It was more like childish love on her part, but it was truly sincere.
Lucas is quite an adult and intelligent person, and the confession of a little girl touches him, he does not take it seriously. But if only he knew how it would turn out for him! Clara accuses him of violence, and this greatly changes the guy’s life. The locals, having found out what the guy is doing in kindergarten, kill his dog, and Lucas himself is not even allowed to buy groceries. They condemn the guy to starvation, throw stones at him, call him names and mock him. In a sense, Lucas can be compared to Jesus, who also endured bullying. Lucas did not show that he was hurt or offended, he was honest and decent. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of the town do not even want to hear about it.
Two opposite characters are depicted – an adult man and a little girl. Lucas is rejected by people, and the love of little Clara is rejected by Lucas himself. Here there is a very deep conflict of personalities and feelings, throughout the film one feels constant emotional tension. A very delicate topic has been violated, and one can argue about who is right and who is wrong for a very long time.
The meaning of the film is that any feelings of any person are very important. Their existence must be taken into account and not hurt anyone, even if there is no reciprocity. People would do well to gain an understanding that not only their feelings are important, but also the feelings of those who are nearby.
The finale remains open – Lucas is again accepted by society, friends returned to him, everything fell into place. It is this moment that raises a huge number of questions from the viewer. How did he come to universal forgiveness, what did he feel, what did he think? The director gives space for reflection. But the meaning is the same: we cannot definitely know what a person is experiencing at some points in his life.
The general idea of the film is as follows: it is important to protect the soul and feelings of any person, regardless of who he is and what he does. He is a man, and this is already a great value. His thoughts, words, and he himself are valuable, because he is a person. Something not the most pleasant awaits each of us, and this must be remembered before taking and condemning and offending this person.
