After the Hunt Review: Luca Guadagnino’s Verbose Psychological Drama Squanders Julia Roberts’ Compelling Lead Performance
The first thing that caught my attention in After the Hunt is the persistent sound of a ticking clock in the background from Luca Guadagnino’s frequent music collaborators, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It occurs during the opening scene as the movie introduces Alma Imhoff, played by Julia Roberts, suggesting something bad is about to happen. It’s loud and intrusive, which I figure is supposed to draw the tension to a breaking point, only to subvert my expectations with an extended dinner party scene in Alma’s home. It’s more of a party filled with highly educated individuals who engage in a series of intellectual debates and academic speeches.
The story takes place in September 2019, and we learn Alma is a philosophy professor at the prestigious Yale University. She’s married to her psychiatrist husband Frederik (Michael Stuhlbarg), who is in charge of hosting the party. A few guests are invited, including Alma’s college and close friend Hank Gibson (Andrew Garfield) and Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), a top philosophy student who is also Alma’s protégée. So, it’s all talk, talk and talk that their think tank conversation comes across as verbose for its own good, rather than something interesting or thought-provoking to keep me invested in the scene.
One of the least things that impresses me is the top-notch ensemble cast, beginning with Julia Roberts stands out the most in her commanding lead performance while looking poised in minimalist, tailored wear and a distinctly blonde bob. She is equally backed by solid support, from Andrew Garfield to Ayo Edebiri to Michael Stuhlbarg. It takes a while before Guadagnino, working from actress Nora Garrett’s debut screenplay, raises the stakes after the teary Maggie shows up at Alma’s door one night and tells her that Hank has crossed the line for sexually assaulting her. It was a strong accusation, one that Hank denied such allegation upon Alma subsequently confronting him.
After the Hunt isn’t the kind of movie that adopts the show, don’t tell approach as Guadagnino prefers to interpret the whole scenario based on claims, accusations and he said, she said scenario. He also emphasises heavily on the unreliable narrator concept, all designed to make us question whether Maggie is telling the truth. The same also goes for Hank, and even Alma, who is burdened by her own past and guilt. I don’t mind if a movie depends heavily on dialogue to make a point rather than an action-oriented narrative as long as it’s intriguing enough.
But despite the movie exploring thorny subject matter, the execution resulted in a long-winded, tedious stretch. It doesn’t help either when After the Hunt clocks in a punishing 139 minutes, where the movie’s drawn-out narrative feels like a slog reaching the finish line. A tighter edit might do this movie a huge favour. Then, there’s the over-reliance on ambiguity and a slow buildup, which could only muster a narratively limp payoff that doesn’t justify the investment needed to spend on sitting through this pretentious movie.
Believe it or not, After the Hunt costs a fortune to get this off the ground, reportedly carries a whopping US$80 million budget, with Roberts alone pocketing a hefty US$20 million salary and also marks the first time she works with Guadagnino. The movie barely made a dent at the box office, taking in only a paltry US$9 million worldwide. Of all the recent films that Guadagnino has directed so far, including Challengers and Queer, this one undoubtedly scores the lowest point. The cast does their very best, and the movie boasts Stefano Baisi’s lavish production design, but it is still not enough to overcome most of the shortcomings hampered by an undercooked screenplay.
After the Hunt is streaming on Prime Video.
