There are movies that haunt the psyche after seeing them and then there is a film such as Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt that are simply haunting in and of themselves, yet still resonate long after the experience of watching the film has ended. While there is no clear-cut way to categorize the director’s latest film, it will undoubtedly be known as one of the filmmaker’s most enduring works when all is said and done.
In the film, Julia Roberts stars as Alma, a college psychology professor who appears trapped in a loveless marriage (or at least an oddly complicated one) with husband Frederik (a brilliant Michael Stuhlbarg), as she navigates a possible tenure track at Yale while her star pupil (Ayo Edebiri) brings allegations of rape against Alma’s colleague Henrik (Andrew Garfield) who just so happens to be up for the same tenured spot that Alma is.
This leads to an intense psychological drama that has more dynamics to it than a simple He Said/She Said conflict. As the thriller quality of the film builds, the dread of the possible outcome begins to fester almost making the audience another victim in this sordid tale.
While Guadagnino is no stranger to stories of this level of edginess and depth of character, his screenwriting partner this time around, actress/producer Nora Garrett – making her screenwriting debut – acquits herself nicely with touches of humanity that seem to have been tailored by her specifically to enhance the depiction of characters within the film. Guadagnino, meanwhile, displays the same level of precise control of the narrative that he exhibited in films like Challengers (2024) and Call Me by Your Name (2017).
This is only enhanced by spectacular performances delivered by star Julia Roberts and Ayo Edebiri, whose Maggie Resnick becomes a sort of tragic hero, and then villain (as do most of the characters present), throughout the course of the film. Similarly, Andrew Garfield shines as his Henrik Gibson sees his life dissolve around him as well. Anchoring the cast, the steadfast work of Michael Stuhlbarg as Alma’s husband grounds the whole of the film in a story of seemingly loveless marriage that somehow still has a burning ember within it.
Julia Roberts and Ayo Edebiri in “After the Hunt.”
A haunting score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross only heightens the psychological turmoil depicted amongst these troubled characters as each of their individual worlds unravel.
Beneath it all, Guadagnino’s steady hand guides After the Hunt through a narrative that, though it appears likely to take the story in one direction, instead opts to take the road less travelled and the result is a genuinely unique and often troublingly brilliant piece of filmmaking.
| Producer: | Luca Guadagnino, Brian Grazer, Jeb Brody, Allan Mandelbaum |
| Release Date: | October 17, 2025 |
| Running Time: | 138 minutes |
| Starring: | Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny, Lio Mehiel |
| Writer: | Nora Garrett |
| MPAA Rating: | R (for language and some sexual content) |
| Director: | Luca Guadagnino |
| Distributor: | Amazon MGM Studios |
| External Info: | Facebook / Instagram / #AfterTheHuntMovie |
