Hunter

I often wonder: How does a child's environment affect their mental state and development? As a director, I enjoy exploring this concept within my films. "Hunter" was first inspired by a friend who was trapped in a home of domestic violence. She loved her parents and did not want to leave them, so she never tried to get out. I felt bad for her, but never understood just how scary domestic violence could be until I witnessed a situation myself. I froze. For weeks, I felt guilty for not acting. The fear and uncertainty that I experienced in that moment allowed me to get a glimpse into what my friend’s life was like. Her strength inspired me to explore such a family dynamic in my film. With this issue in mind, the plot of “Hunter” was also sparked by a moral ambiguity that I came across in a few news articles. Though the cases looked fairly similar, the court rulings varied, but they all stirred an uproar. The conflicting views piqued my interest.

Through “Hunter," I also aimed to explore the links between different roles in a toxic family and how they affect a child: the abusive father plagued with addiction issues, the emotionally exhausted and neglectful mother, and the overwhelmed brother who acts as the glue of the family. The film displays the complex power dynamic that arises in an abusive family. As a child, I remember wanting to grow up so badly so that I could have more power and freedom. While everyone in his family deals with conflicts, Hunter is left behind, feeling weak and helpless when he wants to be powerful. He blames Tate for halting his involvement. And so, shooting the gun empowers Hunter not only because of the gun’s deadly nature, but also because it is an act of rebellion against Tate.

Though the abusive father and the gun drive the plot, at its core, “Hunter” is about the powerful bond that siblings form to survive in an abusive family and the effect of the weakening of that bond. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoy watching “Hunter.”