Thomas Vinterberg
New Film: The Hunt
Country: Denmark
Age: 42
Best Known for: The landmark Danish family drama, The Celebration, which is one of the Dogme '95 movement's shining moments
Cannes History
Surprisingly, The Celebration has been Vinterberg's only Cannes invitation before this year. That film won him 1998's Jury Prize.
His Resume
Believe it or not, Lars Von Trier was once taken quite seriously, and in 1995, he took the international film world by storm with a "movement" that became known as Dogme '95. A small group of mostly young, European filmmakers took a vow to basically make their films in as pure a way as possible. They wouldn't take credit as directors, they'd only use natural lighting and handheld cameras, etc.
The film credited with being Dogme #1 is Vinterberg's The Celebration, and it remains one of the movement's most respected, beloved, and important movies. It follows a family celebrating its patriarch's birthday when a host of secrets, lies, and very unpleasant feelings bubble up to the surface. It's an extraordinarily unique and powerful film—made by a man still in his twenties. And with the inevitable dissolution of the official Dogme movement, it must've seemed at the time that Vinterberg had the world in front of him.
Yet, for some reason, Vinterberg hasn't made a film with even close to as much praise as The Celebration. 2003's It's All About Love was his foray into more commercial filmmaking (it stars Joaquin Phoenix, Claire Danes, and Sean Penn). It fell way flat. It wasn't until 2010's Submarino—about two long-lost brothers who reunite at their mother's funeral—that Vinterberg regained some of his mojo.
Vinterberg On-Demand
Hulu Plus: N/A
iTunes: Submarino, The Celebration
Netflix Instant: Submarino
Vudu: Submarino, Dear Wendy, The Celebration
The Hunt
"Following a tough divorce, 40 year-old Lucas has a new girlfriend, a new job and is in the process of reestablishing his relationship with his teenage son, Marcus. But things go awry. Not a lot. Just a small comment. A random lie. And as the snow falls and the Christmas lights are lit, the lie spreads like an invisible virus." —The Playlist
It's been 14 years since The Celebration killed on the Croisette, and when this year's lineup was announced, a lot of film writers were surprised to see the Danish director's name on the Competition schedule.
The Hunt sounds really interesting. It's co-written by Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm, and the biggest name in the cast is Casino Royale baddie Mads Mikkelsen (see the still embedded below). I think it's Palme chances aren't great, but it's definitely a curious case, and even if it leaves the festival empty-handed, it's nice to have a talent like Vinterberg back on the scene.
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