After The Hunt (2025) Dir. Luca Guadagnino

This slice of life film tells the story of a professor at Yale University, who learns from her star student, that her fellow professor and close friend has crossed the line. As she navigates these feelings, she struggles to keep her own dark past coming to light.

Luca Guadagnino is widely considered one of this generations most interesting directors. His work on Call Me by Your Name and Bones and All did well amongst fans of film, but it wasn't until last year's Challengers and Queer that really boosted Guadagnino into the mainstream limelight. His follow up to these marvellous films was something that should be on everyone's radar. But sadly, it appears that Guadagnino has failed at the first hurdle and delivered his weakest film yet.

Guadagnino is brilliant at achieving greatness in the slice of life genre, he always had this sense of intimacy and world building that made his films so unique. Even the way he styled the camera around the body and with touch made his previous films so personal. But After the Hunt feels starkly artificial. This film has no urgency. It doesn’t unravel or build to any specific moments, the events of the film just happen, with no impact or impression.

What I should say is that the performances in this film are great. Andrew Garfield for me is the standout. Garfield has this nice guy/cozy persona that a lot of people really gravitate towards. But in this film, he is perfectly cast as this, arrogant, egotistical, professor who thinks he is better than everyone. This role brings out the dark side of Garfield's persona that I really appreciate. Whilst the performances are great from the main cast of characters, such as Andrew Garfield, Ayo Adebiri, and the lead Julia Roberts, the script ultimately lets them down. It fails to get the true potential out of these actors, especially Ayo Adebiri who is absolutely incredible, in The Bear and Bottoms, is sidelined for most of the film, even though she is the emotional centre of this movie.

For a movie that is about sexual violence and cancel culture, I find it surprising that this movie isn't really saying anything substantial about the topic. It doesn’t pick a side. Not even in the sense that it’s playing devil's advocate, but that it quite literally says and means nothing.

The cinematography thankfully is the shining light in this film. It’s filled with amazingly personal shots, and Guadagnino’s obsession with body language and physical touch feels even more developed in this film. Especially in its more emotionally charged moments. He always manages to capture the little moments in the actors' performances, that manage to emphasise the subconscious feelings of the characters.

I am aware that this review sounds mostly harsh, I did for the most part enjoy this film, especially seeing as I was attending the uk premiere. But I just expect more out of a Guadagnino film. He is usually so good at these kinds of films. It especially hurts because I saw another film after this one called The World of Love, that has the same themes and genre as After the Hunt, but The World of Love undertakes the themes of sexual violence and genre of slice of life so much better. This was perhaps the biggest disappointment here at the London Film Festival.

★★★

3 / 5

Jacob Holmes

Instagram: _jacob.holmes

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