The established director’s latest film features a handful of excellent performances that help move this sluggish film.
When you look at Luca Guadagnio’s filmography, it’s hard not to be impressed at how often the director has churned out films. With After the Hunt being his eighth directed full-length film released in just over 10 years, the 54-year-old filmmaker is churning out films at an impressive rate that legendary director Ridley Scott would applaud. That said, however, Luca’s films released over the past decade have also resulted in peaks and valleys in terms of quality. Who could forget great films like Call Me by Your Name or last year’s Challengers? But at the same time, he’s put out other films that have garnered mixed reception, such as Suspiria and most recently Queer. Regardless, he has earned the distinction of being a director who immediately piques the interest of the viewers, no matter who is attached to the project or what the story is. After the Hunt presents the most star power the filmmaker has ever assembled in one of his films. While the cast certainly is great in this drama, it only helps elevate an otherwise miserable story.
After the Hunt finds a respected college professor (Julia Roberts) involved with two colleagues (Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield) under her wing. However, when one of the professor’s colleagues makes an accusation toward another, it puts the professor in a tight spot and causes things to slowly begin to get out of control.
The story of After the Hunt is certainly timely, but it leaves the viewer open to interpretation as the film goes on. As the film takes you into the lives of everyone involved, it makes for a dour experience. And by the time the film ends, you won’t feel any better with where the story concludes. In fact, you may find yourself having a level of distaste for everyone involved. And while I appreciate how the story unfolds, it also gets to a point where things get predictable based on how we’ve seen these characters interact with one another, and then it just becomes a complete drag (more on that in a moment). Without the cast assembled for After the Hunt, it’s difficult to envision a film this grey keeping the viewer’s interest.
After the Hunt features a handful of outstanding performances that keep the viewer’s interest throughout the entire film. Beginning with Julia Roberts, viewers familiar with her career know they’re getting another great performance from the A-list star. Commanding as ever in every scene she’s in here, it’s one of her best performances in some time. Her co-stars, however, are almost (if not equally) as good. Of all the people from FX’s The Bear that are starting to see their careers take off, Ayo Edebiri is the one to watch (sorry, Jeremy Allan White), and here she demonstrates why she just might have the brightest future among her castmates. Andrew Garfield is also great, continuing to show us why he’s more than just an actor. We all should keep an eye on outside wearing spandex for superhero stuff. In smaller roles, veteran actors Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny are also great as they provide context for all the miserable characters connected to the college.
We’re in an era where filmmakers often indulge in excessive runtimes, and After the Hunt is a key example. While the film, like many recent projects from established directors, showcases moments of showing us great stories and powerful performances from its cast, it suffers from bloat. A tighter edit–perhaps closer to two hours–would certainly improve the quality of this film. Although the cast makes this watchable, the nearly two-and-a-half hour length weighs heavily, mirroring the difficult actions and emotional themes its characters face in this film.