j* Movie Reviews 2019

The Hunting (2019-SBS)

If you've ever tried to tell me about how much you love your latest binge, you've no doubt heard me say "I don't really do serieses." And it's true, I really don't. So when one breaks through enough for me to watch it, let alone love it, it's a big deal. The ads for The Hunting had me onboard, but it took a couple of conversations of me going "I keep meaning to" before I did it. And I actually watched two eps back to back - unheard of. So The Hunting is (currently) a four parts of about 1hr mini-series.... Open potential to extend.

It's the intense drama about teen sexting and all the layers at which it can go weird. But it's more than that, in that it's a really nuanced exploration of parenting as well. What I particularly like is that it takes this excellent human approach to the characters, with an underlying statement that "everyone is a dick." And I do mean that in the sense of rising and falling to the occasion, sometimes quite uncontrollably in a sea of emotion. There is literally not a character in this who isn't an absolute dick at some point. Every single human, from the most lovely and caring to the most annoying has a moment of doing something that really messes up someone else's life.

As much as it's an exploration of teen-sexuality, the hot-bed of teacher-drama, and the weirdness of giving kids the tech to make porn then expecting them not to use it... it's also an exploration of the dark and cruel hurt that humans cause each other. On so many layers. And it's also a great touchstone on the way that kids grow up modelling on the adult behaviours, and yet those adults are still just demonstrating the emotionally fraught responses of teens, just a little tempered with experience. Delicious!

So it's the length of two films, intense as all hell and really nuanced in it's exploration of the topics and characters. If you're a parent you need to watch this. Even if your kid is two... watch it now so you have time to dwell on it. This conversation makes the "birds & the bees" look like petting time at the lamb zoo.

J* gives it 5 stars.