After the premiere of After the Hunt, Julia Roberts faces mixed reviews. Is she still in the running for an Oscar nomination?
After Harsh Festival Reviews: Is Julia Roberts Still in the Oscar Hunt?
“Not everything is supposed to make you comfortable.” This line serves as a provocative punctuation mark for the trailer of Luca Guadagnino‘s After the Hunt, and it could also act as a warning for viewers settling in for the latest film featuring America’s sweetheart, Julia Roberts.
This #MeToo-tinged psychodrama explores the aftermath of allegations made by a Yale Ph.D. student (The Bear‘s Ayo Edibiri) against a professor (Andrew Garfield). It places both Roberts’ character, Alma Imhoff, and the audience in an uncomfortable position. Should she support her student, who approached her in a moment of need, or stand by her friend, who claims he has been set up after exposing the young woman’s plagiarism?
It’s a compelling premise designed to engage directly with one of the moment’s most contentious subjects, featuring a cast of movie stars, beloved character actors, and directed by one of the most sought-after filmmakers today.
However, critics have not responded favorably. Following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, After the Hunt, which was anticipated to be a serious Oscar contender and potentially a vehicle for Roberts’ fourth Oscar nomination, is struggling with critics. With only 31 reviews logged on Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds a 52 percent rating, while its Metacritic score is slightly better at 54.
Gold Derby users have taken notice, with both Roberts’ ranking in Best Actress and the film’s position in Best Picture dropping significantly since the premiere.
Current Best Actress Rankings
1. Cynthia Erivo - Wicked: For Good
2. Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value
3. Rose Byrne - If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
4. Julia Roberts - After the Hunt
5. Jennifer Lawrence - Die, My LoveSo, what went wrong? It circles back to that line from the trailer. Nothing in the design of After the Hunt is meant to make the audience comfortable. All characters are flawed, and most have secrets. While the film avoids a tidy resolution, which is a strength, the lengths it goes to in its plot and character development seem to leave many viewers feeling cold.
See More ...
This may be intentional. Throughout After the Hunt, characters remark on how little they know about Alma, and Roberts’ performance mirrors this. She is closed off, laser-focused on achieving tenure, and hesitant to reveal anything emotionally that could hinder her goals. This impressive acting is particularly striking from a star with such a luminous persona. Although Roberts delivers one of her signature laughs, Alma is a stark contrast to Erin Brockovich, making her an intriguing role for Roberts but offering little for the audience to connect with, rendering her at times unknowable and, at worst, vacuous.
A more thorough assessment of how reactions to After the Hunt affect Roberts’ Best Actress odds will have to wait until the public screening in October. Even if the reviews don’t improve, they may not be enough to derail her campaign.
Candidates for Best Actor and Best Actress have survived divided critical responses, with Brendan Fraser’s redemptive win for The Whale (64 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) being a recent example. In the Actress category, one must look back to Meryl Streep‘s win for The Iron Lady in 2011 (51 percent), but the precedents exist.
However, the Tomatometer is merely a measure of consensus. A film that honestly engages with allegations of sexual assault is unlikely to be universally beloved. This is the nature of the issue. Whether voters can overlook the film’s discomfort to appreciate the performance at its core will likely depend on their ability to embrace discomfort.
