Film Review: The Hunter [dir: Rafi Pitts; 2010]

Rafi Pitts' latest doesn’t quite deliver on the promises it makes in its first half. With commendable restraint – and a striking use of light and colour – it builds up a portrait of a taciturn night security guard who spends much of his free time roaming the forests outside Tehran. But when a tragic event causes him to commit a crime, the story loses its way and dwindles to a hollow climax. Internationally-released Iranian films can’t help but be seen as statements about the country’s regime, and The Hunter certainly invites a sub-textual reading, but ultimately, it doesn’t quite shake off the feeling that its central idea would’ve worked better as a short. Having said that, I’m very pleased to have seen it, because it’s the first film I know of in which the central character’s surname is the same as mine!