Julia Roberts is all set and ready for the release of her upcoming movie, After the Hunt, alongside director Luca Guadagnino and Andrew Garfield. The film deals with a sensitive topic, and a professor mixes her personal and professional life, with a hint of the #MeToo movement.

Naturally, during the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Julia Roberts waved off a couple of questions that could have turned controversial. However, when push came to shove, the actress had no choice but to defend her upcoming movie and stated that the film isn’t supposed to hurt or defame women in any way (via Variety).

Not to be disagreeable, because it’s not in my nature, but the thing you said that I love is it “revives old arguments.” I don’t think it’s just reviving an argument of women being pitted against each other or not supporting each other. There are a lot of old arguments that get rejuvenated that creates conversation.

She continued,

We’re not making statements; we are portraying these people in this moment in time. I don’t know about controversy, per se, but we are challenging people to have conversation.

Well, with some strong words, Roberts defended Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming project, and it does seem that people might be overthinking things beyond necessary.

What is Julia Roberts’ After the Hunt About?

With Julia Roberts portraying the role of a professor, things take a wild turn when Maggie Price (Ayo Edebiri), who is a star student at her college, accuses Professor Henrik Gibson (Andrew Garfield) of misconduct with her.

During the interactions, Alma Olsson (Julia Roberts) also goes through her own personal experiences and traumas. She also ends up getting stuck between Professor Henrik Gibson, who is a good friend of hers, and her star student, who is making such a serious accusation.

Naturally, things take a turn for the worse as Olsson also wants to believe Maggie Price’s story, but on the other hand, she also wants to protect her colleague and good friend Professor Henrik Gibson.

Some scenes in the trailer or even the movie may have featured Roberts trying to navigate her way through this mess by sometimes protecting Garfield’s character by standing up against Maggie Price. Fans, however, assumed that it was another take on the women-against-women trope, and the film also received backlash due to its themes of the #MeToo movement and the lead characters’ refusal to believe a woman over her colleague.

However, these backlashes and controversial opinions suggest a disturbing trend in Hollywood that has been growing for quite a while now. People… are not happy with movies that actually have something meaningful to offer.

The Controversy Surrounding After the Hunt Might Hint at a Worrying Trend

A still from After the Hunt | Credits: Imagine Entertainment

The point of After the Hunt isn’t exactly to dig up graves, but to get people talking about these issues that seemingly disappeared like a trend. Despite being a psychological thriller with an intriguing storyline, After the Hunt is still at the receiving end of a backlash because of a few questions asked and a few talking points delivered.

The trend in Hollywood has been quite visible, that more and more movies are turning towards a simple fictional plot where the only objective is saving our planet or defeating evil, or an anti-hero wreaking havoc everywhere. Movies that inspire thought or get us talking are getting fewer and fewer every day.

It isn’t every day that a film like After the Hunt is released, and people actually start asking questions about everyday things that should not be the norm. However, by overanalyzing things and creating fictional scenarios of argument, art has been dwindling slowly but steadily.

It probably won’t be long before uninspiring action flicks and superhero movies become the focus of box office collections, while good movies like After the Hunt or Maestro get left behind in a barrage of negative reviews or lack of attention.

Do you think Julia Roberts’ After the Hunt will be worth a watch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

After the Hunt will release on October 10, 2025, in theaters (USA).
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