THE CELEBRATION and THE HUNT (1998; 2012) by Thomas Vinterberg

Reviews for THE CELEBRATION:

“The Danish Dogme 95 movement that struck world cinema like a thunderbolt began with The Celebration, the international breakthrough by Thomas Vinterberg, a lacerating chamber drama that uses the economic and aesthetic freedoms of digital video to achieve annihilating emotional intensity.” – Chris Galloway, CriterionForum.org

“Filmed using a shaky, hand-held camera with natural lighting and little or no post-production (other than to transfer the video image to a 35 mm negative), Vinterberg's approach mimics the look of a home movie. The effect is to make the viewer feel like he or she is part of the action; an impotent observer seated at the table with all of these individuals. It is a sometimes-unnerving experience. The characters become real to us, and their actions take on an importance they would not if the circumstances seemed less intimate.” – James Berardinelli, Reel Views

“It’s an unforgettable film enriched by layers of interpretation; however, its power rests not in intellectual contexts but in the emotionally draining and intense experience it creates.” - Brian Eggert, Deep Focus Review

***

Reviews for THE HUNT:

“The film is a quiet one, bar one or two moments that will make you jump out of your skin, but
otherwise it’s a quiet, fairly slowly paced film that takes hold of you and slowly chokes you until you’re gasping for air and willing the credits to roll.” – Alice Sunderland-Hawes, FlickFeast

“There’s not an ounce of fat in Vinterberg’s screenplay; economical in the best of ways, it interrogates the complexities of the 'thought as a virus’ conceit with a flair that takes it beyond the realm of a standard procedural. In spite of his critique of the rush to judgement, Vinterberg denies the audience the comfort of rallying against an easy 'villain’. ” – Fiona Williams, SBS Australia

“I feel like The Hunt is perhaps one of the best films made in the 2010s because of its complex and dynamic story that is both important (in a socio-political sense) and compelling to watch. It features sublime cinematography and a career-best performance from Denmark’s greatest actor working today. This is Vinterberg’s masterpiece.” – Cate Crafter

***

They f*@k you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you. - Philip Larkin

Ahh, Denmark; 2nd happiest country in the world, with its two major cities among the top four happiest cities in the world, according to the latest 2025 rankings. A veritable socialist paradise, you may imagine; until you watch a Thomas Vinterberg movie, that is. Not one for
shying away from the societal malaise lurking underneath the glossy veneer of the
“Scandinavian miracle”, Vinterberg crafts movies that skirt a fine line between farcical comedy and biting criticism, always with an eye towards holding up a mirror to our all-too-human condition. For our next meetup, we will be looking at two Vinterberg movies which represent two disparate viewpoints on the same theme, and which undoubtedly will incite some provocative discussions. Let’s take a deep dive underneath the Danish happy-mask, and ponder the questions that Vinterberg forces us to ask about ourselves.

You can watch THE CELEBRATION on the Criterion Channel, or at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxWowKsqNdY

You can stream THE HUNT for free on Hoopla.

Happy viewing!