‘After the Hunt’: What the Critics Are Saying About Luca Guadagnino’s Venice Drama

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Aug 31

Written By Jonathan P. Moustakas

Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield in 'After the Hunt.' **Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios**

Julia Roberts anchors Guadagnino’s polarizing #MeToo drama as critics split between admiration and frustration at Venice.

Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt premiered Friday at the Venice Film Festival and quickly became one of the most talked-about entries of the competition lineup. With Julia Roberts leading the cast alongside Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Chloë Sevigny, the film takes on the fraught terrain of misconduct, truth, and generational divides within academia. Early reviews, however, reveal a sharply divided response.

The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney noted that Guadagnino’s film “poses interesting questions” but criticized its refusal to provide answers, even after a “big-twist epilogue five years later.” While he praised Roberts’ performance, Rooney argued that audiences “deserve more substantial compensation after spending more than two hours with these people.”

New York magazine’s Bilge Ebiri offered a more measured take, writing that After the Hunt is “absorbing and well-acted,” with Guadagnino’s deliberate pacing giving it the feel of a mystery more than a pure drama. He singled out Roberts’ “stony anxiousness” and called Michael Stuhlbarg “a particular standout” as Alma’s husband.

On the harsher end, The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw dismissed the film as “an evasive and noncommittal jumble of ideas,” awarding it just two stars. He argued that its ambiguity felt forced, though he acknowledged the cast did their “considerable best” with the material.

The Times’ Kevin Maher countered with one of the more positive reviews, praising the film as “an extraordinary tale of tested loyalties and difficult truths.” Maher described Garfield’s performance as “fabulously louche,” applauded Edebiri’s layered turn, and called Roberts “simply a powerhouse.”

Marshall Shaffer of Decider highlighted Guadagnino’s provocative approach, suggesting the film may frustrate but also succeeds in “foregrounding the discomfort of having to sit with older generational outlooks.” He credited the cast with giving the drama weight beyond its narrative structure.

BBC’s Nicholas Barber was similarly taken with Roberts, describing her as “the monumental centre around which its chaos and controversy swirl.” He praised the film for tackling contemporary issues but warned it was “more of an admirable project than an engaging drama.”

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James Mottram at Radio Times gave another two-star review, calling the film “muddled” and bogged down by academic debates, though he acknowledged the pleasure of watching Roberts carry the role: “There’s something pleasurable in watching her character gradually lose it.”

With just 15 reviews logged on Rotten Tomatoes, After the Hunt currently sits at a 47% critics score. Whether polarizing or profound, Guadagnino’s latest has cemented itself as one of the festival’s conversation-starters — and Julia Roberts’ powerhouse performance could still prove an awards-season force.

After the Hunt opens in theaters on October 10 via Amazon MGM Studios. Before That it’ll Open NYFF 63.