AJFF Review: Cold, Calculated ‘Winter Hunt’

“Winter Hunt” is about three people in Germany — a girl, an old man and his daughter — speaking German with subtitles that are very readable.

The movie begins with the girl testing her ability to shoot a pistol. She then drives to the home of the old man and his daughter.

In the first five minutes, not a single word is spoken. Throughout the movie, the music is dark, giving the sense that something awful is going to happen, but you don’t know what.

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Gradually, the story of each of the three people unfolds, and you come to understand what each believes and whether that belief is accurate. While the movie is set in 2014, the story is about what happened in October 1944.

The story has a sense of reality about it, with each person doing what you think could have occurred. Each explanation of what happened in the fall of 1944 comes across as possible, with twists and turns all along the way.

The acting is quite good for the entire cast.

The title of the movie is about a painting in the old man’s home. It depicts a single man, hunched over and walking alone, and the question is whether the man is the hunter or the hunted or both.

At the end of the movie, try to compare the last scene to the painting.

While the story unfolds slowly, the dialogue keeps you mesmerized. It is worth your time if you have an interest in the Holocaust.

(Atlanta Jewish Film Festival screening: Jan. 31, 7:50 p.m., Perimeter Pointe; Feb. 1, 3:45 p.m., Atlantic Station, and 7:15 p.m., Hollywood; Feb. 2, 2:35 p.m., Springs; Feb. 6, 9:10 p.m., Springs)