On August 29, 2025, the world premiere of After the Hunt at the 82nd Venice Film Festival sent ripples through the international film community, igniting heated debate over its provocative themes and bold creative choices. Directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Oscar-winner Julia Roberts, the film dives headfirst into the thorny terrain of #MeToo, cancel culture, and the shifting power dynamics within academia. It’s safe to say that, even before the red carpet was rolled out, After the Hunt had become one of the most talked-about films of the season.
Set in the rarefied world of higher education, the story centers on Roberts’ character—a revered philosophy professor whose carefully ordered life is upended when her mentee, played by Ayo Edebiri, accuses a colleague (Andrew Garfield) of misconduct. The screenplay, penned by Nora Garrett, is anything but neat: it refuses to offer easy answers, instead plunging viewers into a web of conflicting loyalties and uncomfortable truths.
At a press conference on the festival’s opening Friday, Roberts and Guadagnino faced a barrage of pointed questions, many focused on whether the film undermines feminist progress or risks pitting women against one another. According to AP News, Roberts was quick to clarify her intent: “I don’t necessarily think it revives an old argument of women being pitted against one another.” She added, “After the Hunt is not about making statements; we are portraying these people in this moment in time.” For Roberts, the point is to stir conversation, not to hand audiences a tidy moral lesson.
Indeed, the film’s tagline, emblazoned across its promotional posters, reads: “Not everything is supposed to make you feel comfortable.” The discomfort, it seems, is the point. “Everyone comes out with all these different feelings and emotions and points of view. And you realize what you believe in strongly and what your convictions are because we stir it all up for you. So, you’re welcome,” Roberts quipped, her trademark smile softening the tension in the room.
Director Luca Guadagnino echoed her sentiment, telling reporters, “It’s how we see the clash of truths. It’s not about making a manifesto to revive old-fashioned values.” Instead, he said, the film is about the collision of perspectives—each character convinced of their own version of the truth, each audience member left to wrestle with their own convictions. “We’re kind of losing the art of conversation in humanity right now,” Roberts lamented, adding that if the film accomplishes anything, “getting everyone to talk to each other is the most exciting thing we could accomplish.”
But not everyone was convinced. As reported by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, some critics and festival-goers worried that After the Hunt might reinforce harmful narratives or inadvertently echo arguments that have historically been used to dismiss real victims. Concerns swirled that the film’s nuanced depiction of complicity and ambiguity could be misinterpreted as undermining the progress made by the #MeToo movement. Others, however, praised the film’s refusal to offer easy answers, calling it a rare example of mainstream cinema willing to grapple with moral complexity.
Roberts, speaking to Reuters, pushed back against the notion that the film is anti-feminist or dismissive of survivors. “The film isn’t trying to set back the #MeToo movement, but to spark conversation,” she insisted. For Roberts, the value lies in generating uncomfortable but necessary discussions—a sentiment that resonated with many in the packed screening room, where post-film debate was as intense as the drama onscreen.
Guadagnino’s creative choices also drew attention. The film’s opening credits use a Windsor-style typeface, a clear nod to Woody Allen’s films from 1985 to 1991. When asked about this, Guadagnino didn’t shy away from the controversy: “Why not?” he replied, before elaborating that the choice was meant to provoke reflection on the responsibilities of artists and audiences, especially when the artist in question is, as he put it, “an artist we love” who has nevertheless faced public scrutiny. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this retro aesthetic was seen by some as a provocative move, given the film’s subject matter.
Despite the heavy subject matter, there were moments of levity. During the press conference, Roberts encouraged her castmates to open their canned water in unison, prompting Andrew Garfield to joke about the experience of working with her. As reported by The Express Tribune, these lighter moments helped diffuse some of the tension, reminding everyone that even the most serious debates can benefit from a little humanity.
The film is not part of the main competition at Venice and will not be up for awards on September 6, but its impact on the festival has been undeniable. According to AP News, the Venice screening on August 29 was packed, and the discussion that followed was both heated and illuminating. Some critics, as noted by Editorji, hailed Roberts’ performance as one of her most daring in years, while others remained wary of the film’s potential to reinforce problematic narratives.
Notably, After the Hunt played out of competition alongside major premieres from directors like Yorgos Lanthimos, George Clooney, Kathryn Bigelow, and Dwayne Johnson. Yet, as IndieWire and other industry outlets observed, it was Roberts and Guadagnino’s film that dominated festival buzz, ensuring that its themes—and the conversations it provoked—would linger long after the credits rolled.
As for what comes next, Amazon MGM Studios has announced that After the Hunt will be released in North American theaters on October 10, 2025. Industry speculation, reported by IndieWire, suggests that distributor interest could surge depending on how the post-festival conversation unfolds. Whether the film finds a wider audience or remains a lightning rod for controversy, one thing is clear: it has already succeeded in making people talk.
In a year when the Venice Film Festival is packed with high-profile premieres and cinematic heavyweights, After the Hunt stands out—not just for its star power, but for its willingness to spark debate. As Roberts herself put it, “If making this movie does anything, getting everybody to talk to each other is the most exciting thing that I think we could accomplish.” That, perhaps, is the film’s greatest achievement.
