'I walked out of Julia Roberts' highly anticipated new film feeling deeply conflicted.'

There's something deeply unsettling about walking out of a cinema feeling like you've just witnessed something profound, yet having absolutely no idea what it was trying to tell you. That's exactly how I felt after watching After the Hunt, the latest psychological drama from acclaimed director Luca Guadagnino. 

Fresh off the success of Challengers and with the prior success of projects like Call Me By Your Name behind him, Guadagnino has crafted another visually stunning film.

The movie follows college professor Alma (Julia Roberts) as she finds herself caught in a devastating crossfire when her star student (Ayo Edebiri) levels accusations of sexual assault against one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield). What unfolds is a complex web of professional ethics, personal secrets, and institutional power that threatens to unravel everything Alma thought she knew about her world. 

Let's start with what absolutely works: everything you can see and hear. Guadagnino has created a masterclass in atmospheric filmmaking. The cinematography is gorgeous yet claustrophobic, the score is unsettling, and every element of the film's construction seems designed with one purpose: to make you deeply, profoundly uncomfortable for two solid hours.

Watch the trailer for After the Hunt. Article continues after video.

And it succeeds. You're not just watching this story unfold… you're living inside the anxiety, feeling the walls close in alongside these characters. It's the kind of immersive filmmaking that reminds you why cinema can be such a powerful medium when wielded by someone who truly understands the craft. 

The performances are, unsurprisingly, stellar across the board. Roberts delivers what I believe to be one of her best career performances to date. Edebiri, riding high from her The Bear success, proves she can handle dramatic material with the same skill she brings to comedy. And Garfield, as always, disappears completely into his role, creating a character who can somehow evoke both hatred and empathy from the audience. 

But here's the big problem I had with the movie: I have no idea what this film was trying to say about anything. 

Image: Amazon MGM Studios

For two hours, I watched these incredible actors navigate what is clearly meant to be a nuanced exploration of sexual assault allegations, institutional power, and the complex dynamics of academia. There were moments of obvious significance, scenes that felt weighted with meaning, dialogue that seemed to be building toward some greater truth about how we handle these situations in our society.

But by the time the credits rolled, I was no closer to understanding what commentary Guadagnino wanted to make about this incredibly pertinent issue. There were multiple instances where I found myself sitting in the dark, genuinely wondering if I was missing something fundamental about the story being told.

The film presents us with divisive scenes and morally complex situations, but never seems to land on what it wants us to take away from them. Is it about the difficulty of believing victims? The realities of institutional responses? The complexity of cancel culture on university campuses? All of the above? None of the above? I honestly couldn't tell you.

As a viewer, I found myself craving some kind of anchor, some sense of what the filmmaker believed or wanted me to consider. Without that, the beautiful cinematography and powerful performances, at times, felt a little hollow. 

Image: Amazon MGM Studios

And while there's no doubt that it's a beautifully assembled movie in many ways, you can't ignore the film's more controversial and divisive moments, particularly in the current climate when it comes to women's safety and autonomy.

It seems Director Luca Guadagnino clearly intended this confusion. 

"My idea was of an ambiguous movie that lets the audience think for themselves and make up their own minds," Guadagnino told the New York Times.

And therein lies the contention around this film. Is erring on the side of ambiguity and impartiality ethical when it comes to subject matter as brutal as this one? I would personally say no, but I guess that's a decision each viewer will have to make for themselves when it comes to consuming art. 

So would I recommend After the Hunt? That's a complicated question for a complicated film.

If you're someone who enjoys atmospheric films that prioritise visuals and performance, then you'll definitely appreciate this one. It's an intriguing premise and the craft on display here is undeniable.

Image: Amazon MGM Studios

But if you're looking for a film that will help you process or understand the complexities of these issues, you might leave feeling more confused than enlightened. 

And maybe that's enough. Perhaps the most honest thing a film can do is admit that some situations are too complex for simple answers, too nuanced for clear moral positions. Maybe the better intellectuals of the world will be able to decode what I clearly couldn't. 

But it does beg the question — should you be tackling such sensitive subject matter unless you really have something to say? 

What I can say with certainty is that After the Hunt is an experience. Whether it's a meaningful one will depend entirely on what you bring to it and what you're hoping to take away.

After the Hunt is in cinemas now.

Feature Image: Amazon MGM Studios.