Rarely has a film been more hotly debated before its release than The Hunt. The satirical horror thriller made it to the cinemas in 2020 after a lot of resistance and a long postponement, but went under there. Today it is running for the first time on German free TV. RTL shows The Hunt on Sunday at 11:35 p.m – probably uncut, despite FSK 18 rating. And it’s worth tuning in, because The Hunt convinces with many twists, funny ideas and a great leading actress (Betty Gilpin).
We explain The Hunt controversy and wild release story.
What is The Hunt about?
Twelve people who have never met before come to themselves in a clearing. You receive Access to weapons, at the same time they are shot at. The (alleged) main characters die one after the other without even knowing what is going on here. Little by little the secret is revealed.
Who the main character is remains unclear to the audience for a long time, what makes The Hunt so appealing: Anyone can die at any time. The perfect starting point for that anyway paranoid setting somewhere in an anonymous wilderness. The manhunt is spiced up by the political subtext.
The Hunt – Trailer (German) HD
Release was in jeopardy: Why is The Hunt controversial?
The Hunt deliberately works with stereotypes: Democrats and Republicans attack each other in the film. This issue was dynamite in the divided US political landscape that Trump era reached sensitive proportions. Discussions began well before publication. All that was known about the plot at the time was that two political groups were fighting or chasing each other.
After two terrorist attacks with firearms in the USA, the start was even completely canceled and The Hunt was no longer publicly advertised. The tense climate and discussion of gun violence should not be heated any further. In the meantime the publication was on the brink.
It seemed conceivable that the world would never see The Hunt. The context was too politically charged. When the film was finally released in winter 2020, those responsible asserted that nothing about it had been changed.
However, producer Jason Blum believes the discussion prior to the release of The Hunt “ruined“, reported Indie Wire. “It was bad. It was a controversy about a movie that nobody had seen. People made things up […]. I hope that never happens again.”
It’s a good thing The Hunt came out. Because it’s extremely entertaining. You can see the film for yourself today on RTL.
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