Luca Guadagnino‘s After the Hunt, starring Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield in the lead, has opened to mixed reception upon its premiere at Venice. With an RT score of 43% from 14 reviews, the psychological thriller has become one of the lowest-rated movies for Garfield and Guadagnino’s lowest-rated so far, which is subject to change as more reviews start to pour in.
Garfield’s Lowest-Rated MoviesRT ScoreLions for Lambs27%After the Hunt43% (as of writing)The Amazing Spider-Man 251%
The movie revolves around a s-xual misconduct accusation that shakes the Yale philosophy department. Roberts plays the role of the professor tasked to investigate the situation after her mentee, portrayed by Ayo Edebiri, accuses Garfield’s character of wrongdoing.
What’s the Early Consensus on Andrew Garfield’s After the Hunt?
While early reactions have commended the performances from the cast, especially Roberts, with Deadline describing the performance as her best work in a long, long time, most of the complaints stem from its script.
Vulture‘s Bilge Ebiri noted that the movie struggles to deliver a pointed critique despite raising awareness regarding the # MeToo movement and other provocative themes. Decider‘s Marshall Shaffer critiqued the movie’s pacing and dialogue, claiming that it might narrow its broader appeal.
The movie further stirred debate regarding its exploration of the #MeToo movement and whether it undermines the feminist movement. Roberts, the highlight of the movie, addressed this concern by stressing, “I think it revives an old argument of women being pitted against one another” at the Venice Film Festival (via People).
She clarified that their intention wasn’t to make a statement but to encourage people to talk about it by capturing these lives for what it is.
We are portraying these people in this moment in time, and the camera has fallen from the sky in this particular moment and captures all this. … I think in that regard, I don’t know about controversy, per se, but we are challenging people to have conversation, and to be excited or or infuriated about it is up to you.
It’s easy to see why the movie would prove to be polarizing, as from Roberts’ clarification, it’s clear the movie is going to pose tough questions for viewers, similar to Anatomy of a Fall, which also leaned on ambiguity.
Luca Guadagnino Elaborates on Woody Allen’s Influence for After the Hunt‘s Opening Credits
In addition to the controversy surrounding its lack of a definite stance, the opening credits for the movie have also stirred some drama, as it takes inspiration from Woody Allen’s filmography.
A still from After the Hunt | Credit: Amazon MGM Studios
As for why? Guadagnino described (via IndieWire) that a certain infrastructure of the narrative felt linked to Allen’s body of work between ’85 and ’91. Moreover, considering Allen’s own life was riddled with allegations of s-xual misconduct from his own adopted daughter, the Challengers director expressed that Allen’s influence on the credits made sense.
I felt it was also sort an interesting nod to thinking of an artist who has been, in a way, facing some sort of problems about his being, and what is our responsibility in looking at the work of an artist that we love, like Woody Allen. And, by the way, it’s a classic, that kind of font. I just want to conclude it’s such a classic that it goes beyond Woody Allen.
It’ll be interesting to see how the general audience responds to this story, especially since Garfield does not play the lead with the boyish charm that fans have grown accustomed to.
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After the Hunt will release on October 10, 2025 (USA).
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