Released: 10th of October 2025 

Runtime: 2 hours and 19 minutes long 

Director: Luca Guadagnino 

Cast: Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg 

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars 

I approached After the Hunt with high expectations, drawn in by its stellar cast and acclaimed director. The film follows seasoned college professor Alma (Julia Roberts) and her star student Maggie (Ayo Edebiri). When Maggie becomes close with the suave assistant professor Hank (Andrew Garfield), the groundwork is laid for unsettling obsession and blurred boundaries. 

The film centres on the unknown events which unfold after the opening scene's dinner party, when inebriated Hank and Maggie stumble out of Alma's house together. The next day, a tearful, rain-soaked Maggie waits at Alma's doorstep for her to come home from the office to confide that Hank had sexually assaulted her. She provides vague details of his forcefulness and inability to take 'no' for an answer. The plot centres on Alma’s close relationship with both Hank and Maggie, and her battle to decide whom she believes and where her loyalties lie. 

The combination of Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri felt irresistible. As a fan of director Luca Guadagnino’s lush, complex films, such as Call Me by Your Name and Bones and All, I anticipated another visually rich and emotionally charged drama. 

Unfortunately, the film fell short of these hopes. 

Three words come to mind when I think of this film: pretentious, strange and worst of all, boring. The academic drawl between the characters in the opening dinner party scene dragged on for painfully too long. Other, more enthralling and intense scenes in the heart of the plot are frustratingly brief. This set the tone for a sluggish and inconsistent pacing throughout the film.  

The instant dislike of each character makes the drama feel distant rather than immersive. Every character seemed to be on a mission to be the most immoral, unethical, and jargon-filled snob, and there was no sympathetic or relatable side character to balance the mess of self-serving, manipulative greed fueling every interaction.

The musical score only amplified these issues. The establishing shot begins with an annoyingly loud clock ticking overlay for the opening ten minutes, which felt jarring and out of place. The score was incohesive with the subject matter throughout, undermining instead of enhancing key scenes. It was not until the second half of the film, when the score became less prevalent, that the movie allowed the dialogue to breathe.

Despite this, the actors brought their characters to life. Julia Roberts lends Alma nuance and complexity, producing emotionally captivating and intense scenes through her sincere acting. Ayo Edebiri’s Maggie was also deeply layered, with a mysterious allure that leaves her actions open to interpretation. Although not a main character in the film, Michael Stuhlbarg was born to play Alma’s husband, Frederik, injecting moments of humour and jealousy into an otherwise heavy narrative, especially during the obnoxious dinner scene, as he continuously interrupts the serious conversation between Alma and Maggie, pointedly expressing his dismay. 

However, despite the actor’s best efforts, they could not save this film from its poor directing. 

Critics highlight the film’s political critique of the chaotic and accusatory direction the MeToo movement took in 2019, although Guadagnino argues against such sweeping assumptions, and I agree. Instead, the film primarily aims to satirise academics, exposing how, despite their impressive credentials and presumed moral superiority, they often ironically fail to practice the humanitarian values they espouse. 

There was so much potential for this film to be a masterpiece, from its star-studded cast to its award-winning director; yet, the stylistic choices ultimately let this film down.

Amelia Akonnah is a second-year student studying a dual degree in Media and Social Sciences at UNSW, majoring in Politics and International Relations and Journalism, with a passion for writing and film.