Luca Guadagnino has never been one to explore so-called “traditional” love stories in his movies, whether that’s the skewed power dynamic of Call Me By Your Name or the electric polyamory of Challengers, but After the Hunt might be his most uncomfortable and pressing depiction of romance and Sєxuality to date.
The story follows an older philosophy professor named Alma (Julia Roberts), whose close friendships with a fellow teacher (Andrew Garfield) and their talented student (Ayo Edebiri) come crashing down when the latter accuses the former of Sєxually ᴀssaulting her after a staff party. The film unfolds with Guadagnino’s signature precision, using this disturbing narrative of revenge and self-sabotage to explore important themes of jealousy, power, and romantic dysphoria.
There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with making a film like After The Hunt; responsibility to present the characters in a fair and responsible light, but most importantly, to bring a unique perspective to the discussion that offers audiences a new lens through which to view it. While After the Hunt succeeds at the first, it’s the screenplay’s lingering indecision that ultimately lets the story down.
After The Hunt’s Screenplay Wanders Around An Impossible Question
The most fascinating aspect is that it doesn’t really have a conclusive ending. Guadagnino raises plenty of important questions about Sєxual misconduct and the dangerous power balance of higher education systems, including how we can expect women to speak up when these allegations can permanently damage their careers, but it never really comes to a conclusion.
The film is told almost entirely from the perspective of Julia Roberts’ character, who wasn’t involved with the incident and has no reason to believe either of the parties involved would lie to her. This makes for a very engaging story, as the audience is equally unsure what to believe. We’re tangentially involved in this mystery, but we’re not seeing it through the eyes of anybody who was involved.
As such, After the Hunt demands a lot of patience and trust from its audience — and it has an ultimately unconvincing pay-off. It’s not that Guadagnino is necessarily avoiding the answer (it’s fairly clear by the end what he wants us to think about the whole scenario), but the final act is structurally weak because of his insistence on keeping the audience at such a distance.
After The Hunt Is A Masterclass In Audiovisual Tension-Building
Although its story may be lacking, there’s nothing underwhelming about the way Guadagnino brings this story to life on the screen. From the subdued color palette to the creeping camera that glides slowly through narrow hallways and door frames, he creates a very ominous atmosphere throughout the entire project. It expertly mirrors both the feelings of the characters and those he’s trying to instill in the audience.
Guadagnino has always been a very tactile and aesthetic filmmaker, with his most recent projects, Challengers and Queer, really highlighting that strength. In those films, his sensory filmmaking is achieved through beads of sweat on the tennis courts or thick smoke in 1940s Mexico City bars. In After the Hunt, it’s the creeping darkness of Alma’s Connecticut apartment that sucks audiences into this darkly academic world.
But Guadagnino uses this aesthetic facade to effectively break down the walls of this illusion, proving that the horrors of human behavior aren’t just confined to this dim apartment.
Think half-filled whiskey tumblers and ornate cᴀsserole dishes, piled high on rich antique furniture. Alma’s life, from the outside, is an upper-class dream. But Guadagnino uses this aesthetic facade to effectively break down the walls of this illusion, proving that the horrors of human behavior aren’t just confined to this dim apartment. They’re everywhere, and After the Hunt really forces us to reckon with the changing world around us.
After the Hunt also features a lively, jazz-inspired score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who reunite with the director after their acclaimed work on Challengers’ score. The music does a lot of heavy lifting, creating a very serene atmosphere that gradually builds until the gentle piano tones morph into loud, orchestral pieces that mirror the growing paranoia of Alma’s journey.
Julia Roberts Delivers A Powerhouse Performance In After The Hunt
Each of the performances deserves praise on its own merits, but Julia Roberts is undeniably the star of the show. She navigates this complex story with nuance and restraint, gradually unraveling the layers of her character only when the narrative demands it. Garfield also shines in his supporting role, displaying a wide range of powerful emotions throughout his brief screen time.
The decision to frame Alma as the protagonist of this story. There’s a scene in which Roberts’ character is teaching a group of students, and they’re discussing the Greek hero Ulysses. Despite never recognizing the importance of his accomplishments while he undertook them, Ulysses breaks down upon hearing a blind poet recount the very same stories.
Perception is everything, and sometimes it’s harder to look inside yourself than observe the inner truths of others. Centering this story around Alma instead of Hank or Maggie is a bold move, but it’s After The Hunt’s biggest strength. Only through the eyes of an outside party does the true horror of this story become clear.
