The Hunt

Lucas is a member of a close-knit rural Danish community and works at a local kindergarten, where he gets along well with the children. He misses his teenage son, Marcus, who lives with his ex-wife after their recent divorce. However, Lucas' fortune seems to take a turn after Marcus states he would prefer to live with his father and Lucas starts dating Nadja, a co-worker at the kindergarten. Klara, the daughter of Lucas' best friend Theo and a pupil at the kindergarten, has a tendency to wander off on her own when her parents argue; Lucas occasionally happens upon her when she is alone and helps her out. He accommodates her aversion to stepping on cracks and says she can walk his dog, Fanny, whenever she wants. Over time, Klara develops a crush on Lucas; when she kisses him on the mouth and gives him a small gift, he gently rebuffs her, leaving her dejected. Using details from a pornographic picture shown to her by her older brother's friend, Klara makes comments that lead Grethe, the director of the kindergarten, to believe Lucas indecently exposed himself to her. Grethe informs Lucas of the allegation but is unable to tell him of the details; she then invites an acquaintance to interview Klara, and after she nods in response to the man's leading questions, Grethe, who does not believe that children lie about such things, alerts the authorities and informs the parents of the children who attend the kindergarten. Klara later contradicts her initial story, but the adults see this as stemming from denial of her ordeal. Lucas subsequently loses his job, his friendship with Theo, and is shunned by the community. Due to the vague language used and the secrecy around the investigation, he does not know specifically what he is accused of, but eventually hears he may have been accused of abusing multiple children. The strain of this revelation leads him to end his relationship with Nadja, as Lucas believes she doubts his innocence. Marcus runs away from his mother to be with Lucas. After a trip to the grocery store, where he is told that neither he nor his father are welcome, he sees Lucas being arrested by the police. Locked out of the house, Marcus goes to ask Theo for a spare key but ends up fighting with several adults for confronting Klara, having asked why she lied about his father. He is taken in by Bruun, one of Lucas' friends who believes him to be innocent. Bruun tells Marcus that Lucas has a hearing in the morning and he is hopeful the case against him will be dropped, since he has heard that the fabricated accounts of many children mention a "basement" in Lucas' house, which does not have one. Lucas is released from custody and reunites with Marcus. An unseen man murders Lucas' dog, Fanny, and throws a large stone through his window. Lucas sends Marcus back to his ex-wife for his safety and buries his dog. While shopping for groceries on Christmas Eve, the staff assault Lucas and throw him out; however, the latter returns and headbutts the butcher to get his groceries back. Theo and his wife notice Lucas limp out of the store, bleeding from his head. During a Christmas church service, Lucas attacks Theo in front of the congregation and challenges him to look in his eyes for a sign he is lying about his innocence; Theo had previously stated he "could always tell" if Lucas was lying. When Theo visits Klara in her bedroom that night, she admits that Lucas did not do anything bad to her. Theo then brings Lucas food and alcohol, as the two men sit together and talk. By the next fall, tensions in the community seem all but gone, Lucas's friends greet him as before, and he and Nadja have reconciled. Marcus receives his first rifle at a ceremony at Bruun's house. Afterwards, Lucas and Klara reunite and he carries her in his arms so she can avoid stepping on cracks. The adult men go hunting on the surrounding estate; when Lucas is by himself, a bullet barely misses him and hits a tree. He turns and watches as the shooter, silhouetted against the sun, reloads his rifle and points it at Lucas for a moment before fleeing. Lucas, shaken, stands in silence.

Plot from The Hunt (2012 film)CC BY-SA 4.0