Politics has always played a pivotal role in the evolving landscape of global cinema. Movies, in many ways, reflect society’s beliefs, fears, and hopes. Yet, over the past few years, a new trend has been gaining traction – the explicit representation of right-wing politics in films. Craig Zobel’s 2020 controversial thriller, The Hunt, is a provocative case study of this trend, offering a darkly comic, satirical depiction of America‘s political divide.

Setting itself apart from other films with a particularly bold approach to political commentary, The Hunt portrays a group of elites who literally and physically hunt a group of "deplorables" – terms borrowed directly from the 2016 US Presidential election, with the latter coined by Hillary Clinton to describe Donald Trump’s supporters. With the elites cast as the bloodthirsty and sadistic villains and the "deplorables" as a group of working-class victims, it’s hard not to see Zobel’s adoption of an empathetic stance towards the right wing.

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It mocks the condescension of the liberal elite, their political correctness and their supposed moral superiority, which they flaunt whilst simultaneously murdering and torturing. The deplorables, on the other hand, are portrayed as misunderstood, underestimated figures who fight against a rigged system. It’s a portrayal that taps into a narrative often echoed in right-wing discourses – the overlooked, ‘common man’ pitted against the privileged elite.

Yet, while Zobel’s film may seem to skew in favour of right-wing politics, it’s crucial to remember that it satirises both sides of America’s political chasm. Its exaggerated characters and violent confrontations reflect the increasingly polarised political discourse rather than an endorsement of a specific ideology. The Hunt is not so much a right-wing movie as it is a critique of the state of American politics. Or that’s what you could argue, anyway – if there wasn’t such unfettered love for the movie from self-identified right-wingers. The rise of works like The Hunt poses an interesting question: why is explicit right-wing political content gaining traction in contemporary cinema?

There’s a growing perception that Hollywood is dominated by liberal viewpoints, perhaps leading to a demand for films representing alternative perspectives. Right-wing audiences feel marginalised by mainstream media. As such, movies like The Hunt, with its perceived right-wing empathy, may appeal to them as a form of counter-narrative or rebellion against the ‘liberal’ Hollywood machine. Filmmakers understand that the cultural and political landscape is ripe for exploration and commentary, and tapping into the zeitgeist can make for compelling cinema. In recent years, as everyone is painfully aware, we’ve seen a surge in right-wing populism worldwide – and whether through organic osmosis via emerging directors or a cynical attempt at Hollywood to cash in on both sides of the spectrum, this political shift is finding its way into the film industry.

Interestingly, this wave of right-wing cinema has recently found a new entry with the release of the recent Sound of Freedom. Starring Jim Caviezel (AKA Jesus Christ, from Passion of the Christ), this film made a significant $14.2million gross on the Fourth of July, a figure that outshone the earnings of the Indiana Jones 5 blockbuster, Dial of Destiny – a movie with a budget bigger by hundreds of millions. The film’s success is intriguing, particularly as it lacked the financial backing and promotional support of a major Hollywood campaign, such as what The Hunt received. By all appearances, it looked like an authentic, homegrown, Conservative movie. And people are going nuts for it.

Based on real events, Sound of Freedom follows an on-screen version of the real Tim Ballard, a former Homeland Security Investigations agent who has worked to dismantle child trafficking rings for over a decade. Ballard’s mission takes us to Colombia, where we see his tireless effort to liberate a girl still ensnared in the grips of trafficking. While the film portrays its traffickers as foreign rebels in a regional conflict, sidestepping explicit connections to any political figures or organisations, an end title card suggests America is a significant part of the $150billion child exploitation business.

At the surface level, Sound of Freedom can be seen as an action-packed rescue mission with a noble cause. But for those more versed in the coded language of right-wing conspiracy theories, the film subtly reinforces narratives around human trafficking that many right-wing groups, such as QAnon, have embraced. The movie stops short of explicitly endorsing any particular conspiracy theory, instead threading a delicate line that leaves just enough room for interpretation for those in the know, or as it’s called online: "red-pilled". It’s a very murky quagmire to navigate, indeed.

On the one hand, searching "pizza gate" on Google will tell you all you need to know about the paedophile ring conspiracy theories and how entrenched they are in bonafide far-right circles. On the other, we know that child trafficking does happen… so why is it that a film depicting it bags an automatic right-wing label? Is this response from the media not precisely what fuels the fire of disenfranchised, anti-establishment types?

Films like Sound of Freedom and The Hunt don’t necessarily validate right-wing ideologies but rather highlight how oblivious we all are to the demand for them on the silver screen. The visible support online for Sound of Freedom, whether the movie leaves a bad taste in your mouth or not, is a testament to a growing audience that wants their political sensibilities represented on-screen. We’ve rightfully embraced representation and diversity every step of the way when it came to race, sex, gender and class. But should we draw the line at political stances? And if so – is it too late?