Mads Mikkelsen, the hulking Danish actor best known in this country for playing a villain in “Casino Royale,” won best actor honors at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance in this quietly devastating drama about a soft-spoken, bespectacled and devoted kindergarten teacher whose life is upended by a false accusation from one of his students.
Annika Wedderkopp is very good as the little girl — the daughter of Mikkelsen’s best friend (Thomas Bo Larsen) — whose overactive imagination is spurred by a glimpse of Internet porn. Her vague allegation is seized upon by a well-meaning but semi-hysterical principal and a child psychologist who asks the girl very leading questions about sexual misconduct.
Quickly, a witch hunt grips the entire community, even as the girl’s attempts to recant her lie are dismissed by her own parents. The stunned Mikkelsen, who is recovering from a devastating divorce, becomes a pariah whose relationships with his new girlfriend, teenage son and one remaining loyal friend become increasingly strained.
Thomas Vinterberg (“The Celebration”) directs with restraint that makes the story all the more affecting. Mikkelsen is unforgettable, whether he’s being brutally beaten in a supermarket or melting down during Christmas Eve services, where his 5-year-old accuser is performing in the choir.