The Stream: A ticking clock motif and loud music are distracting.

The Big Screen: Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield giving it their best.

The Final Bill: An engaging drama that raises interesting questions provides no easy answers, and that can be frustrating.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Writers: Nora Garrett
Stars: Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Rating: R for language and some sexual content.
Runtime: 2 hours 14 minutes
Production Companies: Amazon MGM Studios, Imagine Entertainment, Frenesy Film Company, Big Indie Pictures
Platform: On Prime Video November 20, 2025
Notable Trailers: Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy, Playdate, Oh.What.Fun,

Hey, Streamers! Luca Guadagnino’s (Challengers) latest exploration of sexual politics in America arrived on Prime Video last week. Guadagnino’s After the Hunt is labeled as a psychological thriller or crime drama, and it’s neither of those things, but just a competent adult drama dealing with complicated adult situations. In After the Hunt, Julia Roberts plays Alma, a philosophy professor at Yale, who is up for tenure, when her colleague, Hank (Andrew Garfield), a fellow professor also up for tenure, is accused of sexual assault by Alma’s protegee, a young philosophy PhD student, Maggie (Ayo Edebiri). Alma struggles with how to react appropriately not knowing what actually occurred between her friend and her student. Time’s up hijinks ensue.

After the Hunt is an engaging adult drama that takes on sensitive and complicated issues. Yes, it is an “issues movie” that is directed like an erotic thriller. It is tonally jarring, which may or may not be to your liking. Guadagnino has constructed this movie in a way that highlights the ambiguity in dealing with sexual assault allegations, specifically in college campuses, while also making it fairly entertaining. The central question of this movie is what happened between Hank and Maggie, and we are all in Alma’s shoes trying to unravel who to believe. The plot is simple, but the feelings are complicated. It’s an uncomfortable spot to be in, but maybe we can sympathize with Alma even if she’s not very sympathetic. This movie presents a lot of questions and situations, but it doesn’t give any easy answers and that can be very frustrating and unsatisfying.

Julia Roberts gives a really good performance as Alma. Alma is a complicated and unlikeable character, which Roberts does not shy away from. Roberts leans into this character’s most off-putting traits. She also has really good chemistry with Andrew Garfield. Garfield is strong in his performance, which to me was too brief. I wish there was more of him because he exudes the perfect amount of charm, mystery and arrogance to be a morally questionable character. Unfortunately, Ayo Edebiri doesn’t rise to the level of her costars, which is disappointing. Her character is probably difficult to figure out, and I don’t believe she ever did.

Aside from the frustratingly complicated and murky narrative, the most annoying thing about this movie is the obvious sound motif of the ticking clock. *Eye roll* It’s too on-the-nose to be taken seriously. I’ll also note that the music is too loud and distracting. That, I hated! The movie otherwise is decent enough.

Ultimately, After the Hunt is an engrossing drama that takes on complicated issues in today’s society. Since the issues are complicated, the point of view of this movie is not always easy to follow, but that can make it more interesting but a little unsatisfying. Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield give really strong performances while some others don’t fare quite as well. You’ll want to discuss this movie with friends afterwards. A bowl of popcorn will suffice for a stream on Prime Video.