The Wasteland Reviewer

After the Hunt (2025) Written Review

How big of a shockwave can an accusation make on a college campus? Even when looking at the bigger or more prestigious colleges, an accusation can have such a powerful impact on the legacy and community of an institution. These events have their own ripple effects that cause damage to all people around them. Luca Guadagnino has such a wide range of stories he has told on the big screen and After the Hunt is a brand-new venture into the realm of academia, toxic relationships, sexual assault, and compromised values. Alma (Julia Roberts) is a well-respected philosophy faculty at Yale whose mentee (Ayo Edebiri) makes strong allegations against a fellow faculty member and friend (Andrew Garfield). What follows is a twisted web of bad intentions, lies, deceit, and poor judgment. 

How does Guadagnino bring this complex and layered story to life? You can see all the flair that Guadagnino is known for injected into After the Hunt. Overall, this is a crisp looking film with sharp cinematography (from Malik Hassan Sayeed) and smooth editing (from Marco Costa). But there are specifically dynamic choices in certain scenes that give the film a more unique cinematic voice. The time moving montages are framed with not natural audio or music and instead accompanied by loud and pervasive ticking of a clock. This gives a sense of urgency and discomfort. The overall tension and suspense of the pieces is built organically through Guadagnino’s sharp filmmaking. There are a few POV camera movements or engrossing intimately framed shots that capture specific character choices which reinforce the power of those scenes. If you are watching a Guadagnino film, you know you will be treated to inspired work from behind the camera. There are some pacing issues with the film and at almost 140 minutes, After the Hunt gives the sense that it could have been a little tighter. The other impactful and pronounced technical aspect of the film is the score. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross deliver some composition that is unique, engrossing, full of personality, and (at key times) disorienting and/or unnerving at times (matching key sequences in the film). 

Does Nora Garrett’s script rise to this sharp and engrossing presentation? Not entirely. The film is certainly stuffed with ideas and themes, but it never quite feels like it is saying anything or not. The “Me Too” movement was widespread and penetrating over five years ago. But this film feels a little too late in the game and lacks a clear thesis on the matter. Sure, the film does present a more complex and layered world that feels realistic, but it lacks any real clarity. Each of the five identifiable players in this story are flawed people. For the most part, Garrett’s character work does leave space for empathy…except for one. The biggest challenge of the film is our alleged victim lacks any real depth and complexity and instead is this Gen Z stand-in who has all the worst stereotypical traits. The others might be seriously flawed people, but the film is layered enough to find pockets of empathy for them. The film also leaves the audience in more ambiguity than you might expect but that works better for the story than being so clean and obvious. Garrett’s screenplay does give off a sense of bloat where things could have been more focused and leaner. The film begins to lose narrative thrust and intrigue at times in the later second act as well as offering up an awkward and needless prologue at the end. The narrative certainly packs some surprises along the way, and it gives the film more of an engaging feeling that way. 

Along with Guadagnino’s directing, what is the other big selling point of the film? This cast (specifically the core five) delivers for the sake of the film, overall. The one performance that feels a little to expect and lacking in nuance is Edebiri. Still a good performance but she is saddled with such a rough character that it is a struggle to make the character of Maggie more engaging. Roberts delivers the most nuanced and layered performance as she navigates a more condescending attitude at times that can be quite biting and harsh as well. Roberts has a lesser showy role than her male counterparts, but she still elevates this material to have weight and consequences. Garfield has quite an electric presence on screen, and he just grabs the attention away from so much. There are a few moments of rage and physicality that allow Garfield to deliver a bigger performance, and he certainly reaches the correct frequency. Chloe Sevigny is a unique presence here with a specific physicality and a personality that gives the film some laughter and emotional moments. Then you have Stuhlbarg who transitions from warm to intense to petty so effortlessly. Each of these actors must make their pontificating and philosophical discussions feel organic for the sake of the film and they do a fine job at that. 

Is After the Hunt the awards darling you can tell that it was going for? There are certainly admirable and effective elements in Guadagnino’s film that will get the right bit of attention. The cast is excellent and there are certainly ones that deserve this unique opportunity. Roberts, along with Garfield and Stuhlbarg, are real standouts. The themes are still timely, and the filmmaking is all there. The film does lack a clear voice in its timely themes, leaving it feeling a bit too abstract for its own good. Sharply made and thought provoking, After the Hunt still could have been leaner and meaner to truly drive home the power and poignancy of these themes.