By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
JULIA ROBERTS LEADS A COMPLEX CAMPUS DRAMA
Set against the ivy-draped backdrop of Yale University, "After the Hunt" is a tense and timely drama that attempts to dissect the fallout of a sexual assault allegation within the hallowed halls of academia.
Directed by
Luca Guadagnino ("Challengers") from a screenplay by first-timer Nora Garrett, ("8 Confessions in Los Angeles”) “After the Hunt" follows Alma Imhoff (Julia Roberts, "Ocean's 14" and Ticket to Paradise"), a sharp and respected philosophy professor on the verge of earning tenure.
However, her world is upended when her promising Ph.D. student, Maggie Resnick (Ayo Edebiri, TV's "The Bear"), confides in her that Alma's longtime colleague and friend, Hank Gibson (Andrew Garfield, "The Rage" and "We Live in Time"), sexually assaulted her after a department party.
What follows is a carefully paced unraveling of loyalties, reputations, and uncomfortable truths, both personal and institutional.
The film's performances are its strongest element. Roberts is quietly riveting as Alma, playing her with the steely poise of someone whose entire career has been built on intellectual rigor, now forced to confront a very real moral crisis. Edebiri brings a raw vulnerability to Maggie and gives the character depth beyond what's written on the page.
Garfield, ever compelling, makes Hank an unsettling blend of charm and ambiguity, never tipping too far in one direction, which keeps the audience uneasily guessing.
Michael Stuhlbarg ("The Amateur") adds texture as Alma's psychiatrist husband, Frederik, although he has some issues that could require some time on a couch as well.
Chloe Sevigny stars as Dr. Kim Sayers, the university student liaison and Alma's longtime friend, who becomes both confidante and institutional buffer. Sevigny plays Sayers with guarded empathy, embodying the difficult position of someone caught between administrative procedure and personal conviction.
But while the acting is strong, the script falters. The film's attempt to tackle the MeToo movement feels earnest but also overly direct, with dialogue that sometimes spells out its themes rather than letting them simmer.
There's little room for interpretation, and the moral gray areas that should make a story like this feel electric are instead undercut by monologues that serve more as messaging than narrative. You can feel the weight of the film's good intentions, but they often flatten the storytelling.
Still, "After the Hunt" offers a compelling look at power dynamics in elite spaces and asks tough questions about who gets protected, who gets believed, and who gets left behind.
Though its messaging could have used more spice to make it feel more grounded, "After the Hunt" succeeds in creating an uncomfortable and thought-provoking atmosphere.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the
Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station
KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Look At This Trailer For
"AFTER THE HUNT"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards).
