Hunter Hunter 2020

In the unforgiving vastness of the remote Canadian wilderness, Joseph Mersault (Sawa) and his family - wife Anne (Sullivan) and daughter Renee (Howell) - eke out a meager existence as fur trappers. Joseph takes it upon himself to instruct the eager Renee in the art of baiting and trapping various animals, while Anne tends to their cabin, laundry, and water chores. Their tranquil existence is disrupted when a menacing wolf begins to prey on trapped animals along their fur line. Despite Anne’s fervent protests, Joseph sets out to track the beast and eliminate the threat.

As Renee accompanies her father into the wilderness, they spend an arduous day tracking the wolf, with Joseph eventually stumbling upon fresh tracks. He sends his daughter back home, citing concern for her safety, but decides to continue hunting the wolf alone. His solitary venture ultimately leads him to a gruesome discovery - a group of young women, brutally slaughtered and arranged in a ritualistic circle.

Joseph returns home without sharing his horrific find with Anne, instead claiming he spotted a wolf but failed to shoot it. The next day, he sets out on what he claims is another hunt for the same wolf, but in reality, he’s tracking the killer of the young women.

As days pass and Joseph fails to return, Anne becomes increasingly worried and reports the dangerous wolf to local police officers Barthes (Gabriel Daniels) and Lucy (Lauren Cochrane). However, they dismiss her concerns, citing the natural order of things in the wild. Furthermore, they explain that the land on which their cabin sits is federal territory, making reporting the wolf a federal matter that would trigger an investigation - a prospect that terrifies Anne, fearing she may lose her home.

As resources dwindle, Anne is forced to take drastic measures and shoots a baby deer, much to Renee’s distress. Renee steps in to teach Anne how to properly skin an animal, as Joseph had always handled such tasks himself.

One fateful night, Renee detects the sounds of pain emanating from the woods. Upon investigation, Anne discovers a wounded stranger, Lou (Stahl), who has been attacked by a wolf while taking photographs. She brings him back to the cabin and nurses him back to health, unwittingly setting in motion a chain of events that will forever alter their lives.

As Officer Barthes (name withheld) becomes increasingly suspicious of Anne’s activities with Renee, he sets out to track them down, only to stumble upon a gruesome discovery that echoes Joseph’s earlier findings. His investigation is momentarily interrupted when his leg and arm become ensnared by the very same bear traps Joseph had set earlier, rendering him helpless.

Meanwhile, Anne ventures away from Lou and Renee in search of sustenance, leaving the two women alone in their cabin. Her foraging expedition yields a rabbit, which she slaughters, only to stumble upon Joseph’s lifeless body - a grim reminder that Lou is responsible for his demise. With a sense of urgency, Anne rushes back to the cabin, but her return is met with a brutal assault by Lou, who knocks her unconscious.

Upon regaining consciousness, Anne finds herself at the mercy of Lou, who attempts to strangle and rape her while indulging in a morbid fascination with music on his old walkman. However, Anne seizes an animal trap and uses it to immobilize Lou’s face, forcing him to scream in agony as she tends to Renee’s lifeless body.

As the situation spirals out of control, Officer Barthes, despite having lost considerable blood, manages to alert Lucy and other emergency responders to his location by firing his pistol into the air. Though they arrive too late to save him, they do find themselves faced with the gruesome sight of the young women’s bodies.

Anne, meanwhile, has taken it upon herself to mete out a gruesome punishment to Lou, strapping him up by his hands and preparing to flay his upper body, including his face. As she works, she listens to loud music on Lou’s walkman, drowning out his desperate cries as she strips the flesh from his bones.

The police officers are drawn to a fire started by Lou and follow the smoke back to the cabin, where they find Anne calmly exiting the dwelling, holding Lou’s skinned face in her hand. She nonchalantly tosses it aside before taking a seat on her front porch, turning off the walkman as the police close in around her, their guns drawn in a tense standoff that brings the film to a jarring halt.