Director: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield
Genre: Pretty intense women
Just because a film’s subject matter is potentially very interesting, the acting is excellent and there are intense moments, doesn’t mean the film is good. Indeed, whether a good film should also be entertaining will no doubt be a subject for discussion in a future review.
I’ll give director Luca Guadagnino (who also directed the tennis love triangle Challengers (2024)) credit for his attempt to cover the complex issues and detailed nature of adult teacher/student relationships. He attempted to address the complexity of defining and confirming sexual assaults, how they could or should be reported, and to what extent addressing them publicly or privately could have a positive or lasting impact on the victim and the accused, including in courts.
But unfortunately, most of After the Hunt is difficult to comprehend. Intense psychological and philosophical arguments, including many at an academic level, may be true and relevant to what Guadagnino is trying to cover. But that doesn’t mean they add value to the film or help to make it interesting and worth watching.
The likely target audience of intelligent, deep and meaningful adults with great interest in the complex nature of human relationships may take great interest in the film. But even they may not be able to understand what’s being discussed or argued. Add to that the incomprehensible musical and audio moments that try to artificially create tension and a final scene set years later that seems to undermine the intent of the film, and After the Hunt has rationalised away its reason for being.
Rating: Two and a half unprofessors
