Hunter Hunter

Hunter Hunter
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Hunter Hunter is a thriller about a family living off the grid in the woods that must contend with a killer wolf. It's tightly constructed and often tense, but it ultimately has very little point and has frequent harm to animals and heavy gore. Expect to see dead bodies, gory remains, severed body parts (both human and animal), a woman's corpse tied to a tree, a woman torturing a man, guns and shooting, a 12-year-old girl handling her own gun, a character caught in animal traps, and much more. A female corpse is shown topless. Language includes a few uses of "s--t," "son of a bitch," and "damn," as well as "Jesus Christ." A character smokes cigarettes.
Community Reviews
Lots of animals died to make this bad film a reality
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Absolutely bad.
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What's the Story?
In HUNTER HUNTER, Mersault (Devon Sawa); his partner, Anne (Camille Sullivan); and their 12-year-old daughter, Renee (Summer H. Howell), live off the grid in Manitoba in 1990, hunting and selling furs to survive. Mersault becomes worried when he finds the remains of a raccoon in one of his traps: Something tore it out and ate it. He goes hunting for what he thinks is the culprit, a killer wolf. He finds a campsite full of dead bodies and more gory remains in traps. Meanwhile, Anne and Renee try to defend their home against wolf attacks while their food supply runs low. Then a wounded stranger (Nick Stahl) appears.
Is It Any Good?
Undeniably well-made and brutally effective, this gory thriller soon becomes sour and ugly due to its ruthless depiction of violence toward animals; it also ultimately lacks a real point or theme. Hunter Hunter is neatly constructed to build dark tension, using sound design and an unknown lurking in the woods that could be anywhere, at any time. Certain elements are kept deliberately off-camera to increase the sense of uncertainty, and the various plot turns are a step above the run-of-the-mill. The title indicates the movie's attempted theme, that the hunter becomes the hunted, while the story's final half-hour offers a few more twists on an old chestnut.
But it really boils down to revenge, and the movie has little to say about the subject other than that it happens. It likewise has very little to say about why the story might be set in 1990, or what it means to "live off the grid." It might be a story about humanity's folly, about how people might unwisely consider themselves to be smarter than nature, but once that point is made, Hunter Hunter still goes on for a while longer. The final nail in the coffin is the constant depiction of animal-killing, plus dead, dying, and mutilated animals. That might not bother everyone, but the movie's cruelty also extends to humans. It's a lot to ask.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Hunter Hunter's violence. How did it make you feel? How much blood and gore is shown, and how much violence is just suggested? How does that affect its impact?
What does "living off the grid" mean? How difficult do you think it would be to live off the land?
What happens when humans try to control nature -- or show their superiority to nature? Does this theme make for interesting stories?
Why do you think the idea of revenge appeals to people? What are the main flaws with revenge?
How did you feel about the movie's treatment of animals?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 18, 2020
- On DVD or streaming: December 18, 2020
- Cast: Camille Sullivan, Summer H. Howell, Devon Sawa
- Director: Shawn Linden
- Studio: IFC Midnight
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 93 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: October 14, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love scares
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