Yesterday I watched
a Danish movie – “The Hunt”, one of the best movies in the Cannes Film Festival
2012. I am really not a movie person but this one blew my mind away. I haven’t
been able to take it out of my head since then.
I won’t review the film here because I am not equipped to review
such a great art. But it sure is a controversial
take on an intensely emotional issue.
It’s the story of
Lucas – a kindergarten teacher, who is falsely accused of being a paedophile. A young girl, the
daughter of Lucas’s best friend, develops a childish crush on him while in his
care and when he gently explains the boundaries of their friendship, she begins
to pout.
Later, she tells the
crèche director that she doesn’t like Lucas anymore and claims that she has
seen his genitals — an accusation she later tries to retract but only after
it’s too late.
A witch-hunt ensues
against Lucas and as the mass hysteria sets in, his life crumbles around him.
He loses his job, his new girlfriend, friends and, potentially, access to his
son.
Only the son and a
close old friend stand by him as the community descends into paranoia and other
children, getting swept up in the frenzy, accuse Lucas of molesting them as
well.
The movie is
disturbing and nerve raking to watch but the message it carries is absolutely
unsettling. It left me emotionally drained.
We know children do
not lie. There are moments in the movie which reciprocated this common belief.
Like when the little girl tries to tell her mom, that, what she said, had never
happened, her mom says, “it did happen baby” or the time she says, “My little
daughter doesn’t lie”.
I am not a parent,
nor am I a child psychology expert, but this movie drove me to some online
research. And I found some shocking truth.
CHILDREN DO LIE! AND
OFTEN!
It’s not a surprise
that thousands of children ARE abused everyday around the world. Although most
of them are telling the truth, some of them are lying too.
For example, if a
child really hates the math teacher and has been taught about “good touch” and
“bad touch” at home, he/she can report the teacher to take revenge. And society
would accept it as the truth, unexamined. As a result many innocents are
punished.
Like the man who was
accused of abusing a 6-year old and was sentenced for a lifetime. After twelve
years it was proved that the child lied. So he was released. Nevertheless, his
life wouldn’t be the same anymore.
Study shows, during
cross examinations, only 33% of all children complaining sexual abuse said they
were abused when asked for a polygraph test. Whereas 76% of all the children
complaining sexual abuse said they were abused when no such test was involved.
Thousands of lines have
been written on this issue. I read at least one blog a day where parents,
teachers and doctors speak about child sexual abuse. But none speaks about the
other side of it.
I do not undermine
the grave importance of this. It is also important for the parents to listen to
their kids. But the question is, is it alright to believe the innocence of the
children without verifying the facts?
The movie “The Hunt”
asks some very valid questions.
Love
© copyright 2012 – All rights reserved
Riot of Random
