Venice Film Festival, review of the movie After The Hunt

The director's intention with "After the Hunt" to create a psychological thriller appears frustrated by tension that dissolves into the elegance of an occasionally prosaic narrative. Nevertheless, it skillfully utilizes character dynamics to construct refined dialectics, with a stylistically impeccable screenplay. The film is relevant for its themes, explored from every perspective of identification—from issues of consent to revenge, alternating between moral and ethical purposes with convenience and ambition.

Alma (Julia Roberts) is a university professor aspiring to secure a chair for her career, but finds herself sucked into a vortex of malice too similar to the secret she jealously guards from her past. She comes to neglect herself to the point of risking the opportunity of a lifetime's work. Emotionally involved in her friendship with Hank (Andrew Garfield), she doesn't know whether to believe the accusations made by Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), doubting first one and then the other, only to discover that her doubts primarily concerned herself and her past.

"After the Hunt" immerses the viewer in a sophisticated narrative and renders them uncertain of the truth, just as the protagonist herself is. This uncertainty doesn't stem from the tension of a psychological thriller, but rather delves into the depth of relationships, elaborating the mechanisms and dynamics between characters with excellence in a struggle of interpersonal power. Julia Roberts' performance in the leading role enriches the narrative.