This is a weird one.
The Wild Hunt is a psychological drama set in a giant live-action role playing game in Canada. The game is similar to most Renaissance Fairs, except that they have role-playing rules regarding their "battles." It sort of serves as an outlet and getaway for most of its players.
Into this we are introduced to a multitude of characters, but there are a few people we follow. There is a young man who has a pretty tenuous tie to his girlfriend. The relationship is dying, and he is worried about her fidelity as she goes on her excursions to this game (for good reason). Neither of these two people are prizes. At the same time, his brother is somebody who has immersed himself into the game, becoming Bjorn the Beserker and almost ignoring all aspects of reality outside the game.
All of this is presented to us at the outset, but there are some seriously dark undercurrents to all of it. The majority of the film is very intense and almost claustrophobic. It's uncomfortable to watch. I don't want to give away too much of the film; it was one of the most surprising movies I've seen this year. But by the end of the film, things have taken a very dark turn.
One of the things the film does not do is mock the live-action role-players. A less assured film would spend more time mocking the inherent nerdiness of it all, but this film gets much deeper into the psychology of it. If you've been to a Renaissance Fair, you will be familiar with the setting. I love Renaissance Fair's by the way.
Probably the biggest downfall of the film is that none of the characters are very likable. There are small moments in the film where we can root for the characters as they find minor successes in this weird world. Those moments are fantastic, but the dark undercurrent of this film eventually takes over.
I loved it. Like I said, this movie was just a surprise to me. I'm wondering what its creators will do next. If you're willing to put yourself in a very tense and worrisome place, I recommend you check out this film immediately. A fantastic movie.
