After the Hunt
2025
**
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny, Lío Mehiel, David Leiber, Thaddea Graham, Will Price, Christine Dye, Lailani Olan
Alma and her close friend Hank, both distinguished Yale philosophy professors, are competing for the same tenure position. When a PhD student accuses Hank of sexual assault, Alma's life and career begin to unravel as well. One Battle After Another was 25 years in the making, yet it felt incredibly timely upon its release. Luca Guadagnino's drama tackles the relatively recent phenomenon of cancel culture, but it already feels like old hat. Todd Field's Tár (2022) had more success with the topic. It also doesn't help that Nora Garrett's screenplay relies on laughable, and sometimes infuriating, contrivances. The first comes in the opening scene when the PhD student played by Ayo Edebiri walks into the bathroom. Despite all this, Julia Roberts gives a strong lead performance. The opening titles use the Woody Allen fontTM, which feels a bit on the nose.
