Looking over Luca Guadagnino’s filmography, it’s hard to compare After the Hunt to anything he has done before. Where his films have been filled with love, forlorn wistfulness, finding the horror in beauty and vice versa, his characters too have been those who wish to follow and actively root for. Maybe Challengers comes to the closest in comparison, yet even then, there was some magnetic about the love triangle, passion and obsession. But, with After the Hunt, there is only bitterness, pain and secrets.
Philosophy Yale professor Alma (Julia Roberts) is forced into an uncomfortable and difficult position when her PHD student, Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), accuses Hank (Andrew Garfield), a fellow professor in the department of sexual assault, she is faced with her secretive past as well having to deal with the fallout of the accusation.
The baseline of the story is nothing new, sad to say. A student accusing a teacher of inappropriate behaviour and the fallout that follows is difficult. But there is something suspicious and concerning about Maggie’s and Hank’s behaviour throughout. From the very start, its clear that both parties are obsessed with Alma. She and Hank clearly are very close and there is an admittance of past feeling later on in the film, but she keeps him at arm’s length. Maggie, not only tries to emulate Alma (dressing like her, same nails, jewellery) but even steals something very secret from Alma that was clearly not meant for anyone. There is a sickening feeling throughout that both Hank and Maggie use this accusation and incident to claw attention, recognition, even approval from Alma, which is very unsettling. There is of course the fact that Alma prior to the events of the film, has placated their attentions to satisfy her own ego, for example, she knows Maggie plagiarised her thesis but said nothing, which could have been used in Hank’s defence. But Alma makes it clear she doesn’t want to be involved with the fallout of the incident, she doesn’t exactly take sides, but she doesn’t want to be involved with either.
There is are underlining questions throughout. One is about what really happened and whether Hank did assault Maggie. It is never actually laid out what happened as Maggie describes Hank kissing her and then she trails off, saying he crossed the line. Hank has the counter argument that he never tried to kiss her and that she became frosty when he brought up her plagiarising her thesis. But Hank has a reputation for flirting with his students. The other is what Alma’s big secret is, which could be key to her behaviour throughout. When it is finally revealed however, it is just another piece to the ultimately unsolved conclusive puzzle.
What’s strange is that the entire cast are impressive in their own right, yet only Julia Roberts as Alma is able to fully shine through the dismal and incoherent at times story. Both Garfield and Edebiri feel as if they are playing two dimensional characters, but try their hardest to make the most of what they are given. Chloe Servigny is criminally underused, not to say that her character should have been present more, but a lesser actress could have made a bigger impression. Thankfully Michael Stuhlbarg makes the biggest impression, left to what could have been written off as ‘the husband’ role, practically trapped in the kitchen throughout. He manages to be the voice of reason and understanding, even calling out the hypocrisies that follow from the very beginning. He does far more by simply making a superb exit from an awkward conversation and playing music that half the cast does throughout.
After the Hunt will not be remembered as Guadagnino’s best, but it may spark some deeper conversations due to its subject matter. Though this may be an impressive cast, the story, somewhat convoluted, just doesn’t match up to the talent telling it.