Explore the intriguing controversy surrounding Julia Roberts’ latest thriller, ‘After the Hunt’, and its thematic implications.
Everything to Know About the Controversy Surrounding Julia Roberts’ New Thriller ‘After the Hunt’
In After the Hunt, Julia Roberts portrays a woman faced with a complex moral dilemma. During a press conference at the Venice Film Festival for the Amazon MGM Studios drama, directed by Luca Guadagnino and featuring Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri, life seemed to imitate art.
At the press conference, Roberts was questioned about the #MeToo movement and cancel culture in relation to the film’s themes. According to Variety, a journalist pointed out that the movie had “sparked controversy” among some festival attendees who felt its narrative “revives old arguments” and “undermines feminist principles and the feminist struggle” — particularly concerning the importance of believing women who report sexual assault.
Roberts, flanked by costars Garfield, Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny, and Guadagnino, defended the film, stating, “We are challenging people to have conversations.”
“Not to be disagreeable, because it’s not in my nature,” Roberts said with a laugh, “but the thing you said that I love is it ‘revives old arguments.’ I don’t think it’s just reviving an argument of women being pitted against each other or not supporting each other. There are many old arguments that get rejuvenated, creating conversation.”
Roberts continued, “The best part of your question is that you all came out of the theater talking about it. That’s how we wanted it to feel. You realize what you believe in strongly because we stir it all up for you. So, you’re welcome.”
When asked again about the film’s intentions, Roberts remarked that society is “losing the art of conversation in humanity right now.”
“We’re not making statements; we are portraying these people in this moment in time,” she explained. “I don’t know about controversy, per se, but we are challenging people to have conversation. To be excited or infuriated about it is up to you. If making this movie does anything, getting everybody to talk to each other is the most exciting thing that I think we could accomplish.”
She humorously added: “I love the softball questions early in the morning.”
What’s the Plot?
Roberts stars as college professor Alma Olsson, who becomes embroiled in a moral and personal dilemma when her top student, Maggie Price (Edebiri), accuses a colleague, Henrik “Hank” Gibson (Garfield), of inappropriate behavior.
See More ...
In the trailer, Maggie tells Alma, “I need to speak with you. Hank walked me home. He crossed the line.” She adds, “It’s the right thing to do, you know, to tell someone. Given your history,” hinting at Alma’s hidden secrets from the past.
Alma finds herself caught in the middle of the allegations, torn between protecting her friend and colleague and supporting her student. In the trailer, Alma tells Maggie, “I know you have feelings for me.” To which Maggie responds, “I don’t feel comfortable having this conversation with you anymore.” Alma replies sharply, “Not everything is supposed to make you feel comfortable.”
The Backstory
After the Hunt follows Guadagnino’s film Challengers, starring Zendaya. His other directorial credits include Queer, Bones and All, and Call Me by Your Name.
At CinemaCon, the cast and director revealed the first trailer for the film, written by Nora Garrett, with Garfield discussing Guadagnino’s ability to portray complex human emotions.
“He has a rare gift of exploring the complexity of what it is to be human, of all the emotions that we go through: desire, envy, betrayal, and love. He tells stories that are completely beautiful to behold on the big screen, sumptuous, sensual, and life-affirming, and that’s why we’re so excited for audiences to see After the Hunt,” Garfield stated. “I have a feeling it’s a film that needs to be seen in a cinema because I think it’s gonna spark a lot of conversations.”
When’s It Come Out?
Amazon MGM Studios will debut the movie in select theaters on Oct. 10 before a wide rollout on Oct. 17.
This story was originally published on July 11; it was updated on Aug. 29 with details from the Venice Film Festival.
