AFTER THE HUNT

This psychological thriller focuses on Yale philosophy professor, Alma (Julia Roberts), whose life is disrupted when her friend and colleague Hank (Andrew Garfield), is accused of sexual assault by star student Maggie (Ayo Edebiri). Caught between loyalty to her friend and her moral obligation to Maggie, Alma’s life is thrown into chaos when her attempt to remain impartial is muddied by a dark secret from her own past. The story is driven by the intense relationships between Alma, Maggie, and Hank, as well as Alma’s interactions with her husband and colleagues, as they all become involved in the escalating scandal. Parts of the plot are ambiguous in this slow burn, which only heats up in the last half hour of its 139 minute run time. It covers an overwhelming number of themes relating to the #metoo movement, BLM, LGBTIQA+ partnerships, the uber wealthy, university politics, and power disparities – but is late to the party on some of them. The sophisticated script and casting are its beacons of excellence. Roberts and Garfield excel with their emotion fuelled, compelling performances of flawed humans. My feeling by the end was that the wrong person got portrayed as the villain. Layered and uncomfortable.