There’s something deeply unsettling about walking out of a cinema feeling like you’ve just witnessed something profound, yet having absolutely no idea what it was trying to tell you. That’s exactly how I felt after watching After the Hunt, the latest psychological drama from acclaimed director Luca Guadagnino. 

Fresh off the success of Challengers and with the prior success of projects like Call Me By Your Name behind him, Guadagnino has crafted another visually stunning film.

The movie follows college professor Alma (Julia Roberts) as she finds herself caught in a devastating crossfire when her star student (Ayo Edebiri) levels accusations of sexual assault against one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield). What unfolds is a complex web of professional ethics, personal secrets, and institutional power that threatens to unravel everything Alma thought she knew about her world. 

Let’s start with what absolutely works: everything you can see and hear. Guadagnino has created a masterclass in atmospheric filmmaking. The cinematography is gorgeous yet claustrophobic, the score is unsettling, and every element of the film’s construction seems designed with one purpose: to make you deeply, profoundly uncomfortable for two solid hours.

Watch the trailer for After the Hunt. Article continues after video.

Video via YouTube/Amazon MGM Studios