Conclusion
Movies are combinations of narrative elements. Its all about cracking the right code, and The Hunters elements really come together and resonate. Its an adaptation of a novel, but its also its own thing. The movie uses ideas and genre conventions explored many times in many different films, but skillfully uses a relevant, particular combination to build and augment the movie, and the emotions that come out of that in turn seem genuine and lend themselves to staying with the viewer, whether the identity of the movie is truly unique or part of a larger and more ancient, repeated dialogue. It worked with me anyway. There are many movies that achieve this level of resonance, and even more that dont. The ones that work are not written around the influences, as Larry Levy in The Player would have you believe, but instead have reasons behind them. As we create new stories of any genre, each story needs to have that why. And if that why is from a primal idea, the story will nevertheless be meaningful as long as we remain true to ourselves. I dont fully know where The Hunter fits within the Australian film industry or movies as a whole, but for me, The Hunter is one exciting answer to that perennial question all film enthusiasts ask themselves, How can a new movie truly stay with us? Somewhat predictable yet somewhat not, it is a lesson for our imaginations. But many movies resonate for us in many ways, don't they? What movies resonate for you and why?