the hunt, the ending

Hi,
I think that Klara's brother who shot the rifle
In the celebration ceremony scene, when Lucas looked around the room, the eyes contact with Clara's brother was odd.
I can't describe it more, I am sorry. I am not English native.
Just watch the scene again and you will see.

I actually thought it was his own son! (Am I too cynical?) I really thought so, because the silhouette was small, seemingly belonging to a teenager. The boy, who stood by his father all along, maybe accumulated suspicion deep down and it was his way of secretly relieving that accumulation.

yes, loved the film's tension, and the proposition, because I have considered b4 how unthinkable and horrific it would be for anybody to be falsely accused of being a child molester...I think the film captures well the consequences and ramifications..

But the end hunt scene
--(and I think the ending of the film was too hurried, period..instead of so much being made of the Scandinavian hunter's bar-mitzvar ritual, we needed to know how the town getting back to Lucas looked)--

WTF...who put a bullet into the tree near his head, and what was this to convey?
that still maybe this long after Lucas' exonneration, some people still did not get with the program?

It WAS NOT in his head. It happened. And it could be anybody - that's the point. What it's meant to show is that once you get the dirt on your name, you'll never clean it again, no matter what. His life, and practically his son's life too, is completely ruined for all time. And that's the power of one mean word - the deadliest weapon of all.

I subscribe to the theory others have posted here that the shot was real. It doesn't matter who the shooter was - the point being that for some people his name will never be cleared - he will always be guilty.

For your information, on the DVD version of "The Hunt", an alternate ending is included (similar to but obviously not the one used in the film). In the alternate, the shooter hits his mark, striking Lucas in the chest (in the heart). Lucas dies instantly collapsing to the leaf-covered forest floor where he lies motionless. The shooter flees as before and the woods remain silent. I think this alternate ending supports the fact that we too are viewing reality with the theatrical ending.

I believe Lucas was guilty and Marcus knew it. He found a pair of undies and asked his father about them. I think the undies belonged to the little girl and Marcus believe that too.

For me, it just means that it is never the same anymore.

For me it symbolises his role in the story. He may be participating in the hunt (a symbol of his life), but he is not the hunter. He has felt what it is like to be hunted and his life will never be the same again. He is now like the deer, always on the lookout, dreading what may surface, even if everything seems to be fine.

It might have been a misfire, but after what has passed he saw it as a direct hit on himself. Out of fear, he thought the culprit was standing right over him, but on a second look there was no one there.

He is the prey.

Quot homines, tot sententiae.