av the hunt movie review

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

What's the Tomatometer®?
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening this week
Top box office
Coming soon to theaters
Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

Netflix streaming
Prime Video
Most popular streaming movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

Love Lies Bleeding Link to Love Lies Bleeding
Problemista Link to Problemista
Late Night with the Devil Link to Late Night with the Devil

New TV Tonight

We Were the Lucky Ones: Season 1
Jerrod Carmichael: Reality Show: Season 1
Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces: Season 1
A Gentleman in Moscow: Season 1
Renegade Nell: Season 1
American Rust: Season 2
The Baxters: Season 1
grown-ish: Season 6

Av: The Hunt Reviews

A bracing, damning indictment of a world where women have no bodily autonomy wrapped in a visceral, on-the-lam chase thriller in which every man our heroine meets is not just an existential threat, but a real one.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 10, 2022

A seamless blend of social commentary and action thriller in a setting where tradition conflicts with progress.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 13, 2021

Despite its overall disappointing execution, AV: The Hunt still remains to be an important film. It cleverly showcases the treatment of women in modern day society who are still treated like they exist merely as props for the men in their life.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 15, 2020

[A] chilling indictment of archaic Turkish patriarchal violence in the form of a blisteringly paced survival thriller.

Full Review | Oct 3, 2020

Av: The Hunt is beautifully shot... There's also a surreal quality to the ending, though here, sadly, the film doesn't hand together as well.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 11, 2020

Unbearably tense from the off, fiercely political, Av should be commended for tackling an ugly subject matter.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 4, 2020

It's a brave and affecting movie that, while it can't be seen as enjoyable, is certainly impressive and hits more than a few nerves.

A lean, laser-focused 86-minute thriller full of breathless chase sequences and grounded fight scenes. Most of all, see it for Billur Melis Koç's fiercely committed central performance.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 1, 2020

a dispiriting state-of-the-nation survival thriller in which rape and murder are validated as acceptable male behaviours, women are treated like animals, and the running can only ever end one way.

Full Review | Aug 31, 2020

A bold story-telling structure that cuts off all of the fat in favour of lean mean action.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 31, 2020

COMING SOON
OUT NOW - US
COMING SOON - US

COMPETITIONS

Eye For Film >> Movies >> Av: The Hunt (2020) Film Review

Av: the hunt.

Reviewed by: Jennie Kermode

Turkey has always been a country caught between different worlds, the same accident of geography that ensures its prosperity making it the focus of countless wars. At its simplest, this might be seen as a struggle between Christianity and Islam, but scratch the surface and you'll find a much more complex and deep rooted cultural battle. Despite the increasingly religious bent of its current government, it's easy to get the impression that life in its larger cities functions pretty much the same way as life in the West, and for many people, it does. In smaller places, however, a much older set of values holds sway - and as so often around the world, the conflicts between these value systems are acted out on the bodies of women.

Ayse (Billur Melis Koç) has a lover. They meet in secret in a mostly empty flat. Their passion for one another is clear. It's a commonplace scene - it's probable that thousands of people around the world are engaged in such encounters at this very moment - but we know the moment we hear a knock on the door that Ayse's circumstances are different. When the violence starts, she has no option but to run. She has no money - not even a full set of clothes. There will be no sanctuary for her at home. The only hope she has is to make it to Istanbul - to her sister, perhaps, or at least the anonymity of the city - before her pursuers catch up with her.

Although Turkish law has explicitly condemned 'honour' killings since the revision of the Penal Code in 2005, and they attract sentences of life imprisonment, the power of tradition and many people's willingness to turn a blind eye means that they still claim the lives of around 200 women a year. What's more, even among people who would never condone killing, the belief that women are essentially the property of the male relatives and should be physically disciplined when they disobey remains common. The consequence of all this is the Ayse knows she can't trust strangers. She's on her own.

Through the simple act of showing us Ayse's far right from the start - along with her lover's attempts to defend her - director Emre Akay places viewers instinctively on her side, a choice that could have a real impact on how thousands of viewers think about women in such situations. The fact that we know next to nothing about her makes this approach even more powerful, as for a long time there's nothing for us to focus on except her desperation, her courage and the cleverness she has to employ in order to secure her escape. Once the chase moves into a maze of forest, caves and canyons, still more primal emotions come to the fore. Ayse is forced to run like an animal, but it's folly for her pursuers to think of her that way - to lose track of the threat that she too can pose.

The film slows down when we spend time with the hunters, but here Akay seems keen to make us think about the sort of men who think and act in this way. Their constant need to reaffirm their masculinity means that they may be as dangerous to one another as to their quarry. A teenager among their number is uncertain about the whole enterprise but finds himself constantly goaded about his failure to act like a real man. Along the way, he grows increasingly suspicious of the men's motives. Talk of rape doesn't suggest that this is about justice or restoring the family honour, as they proclaim. It also becomes clear that they're happy to ignore Islamic law when it inconveniences them.

Av: The Hunt is beautifully shot, capturing the varied landscapes of the region in a way that emphasises the bonds between the characters and their country, reminding us how much this place means despite the difficulties that living there presents. It also positions Ayse as someone who is just as much a part of this world as any of the men, somebody who has just as much right to be outside, alone - something that is culturally challenging itself in some areas. A scene in a cave attains a surreal quality because of the way the light is filtered, the way Akay's camera makes use of the shadows. one is reminded of Sixties science fiction adventure films. It's a surreal situation, one that neither Ayse nor her pursuers can fully come to terms with, even when it's a matter of life or death.

There's also a surreal quality to the ending, though here, sadly, the film doesn't hand together as well. When Akay uses some of the visual language he has previously employed in flashbacks in a different way, the result is distracting, creating uncertainty at the wrong time. This is the only significant problem, however, in an otherwise beautifully constructed film that will haunt you for a long time after the credits roll.