After the Hunt (2025)

Set amidst the intellectually rarefied environment of some university philosophers, I thought this might have had some similarities to “Tár” (2023) when a student makes an unsubstantiated accusation against one of her teachers and, well you know what they say about mud sticking. Sadly not, though, as this seems intent on avoiding dealing in any depth with any of the potentially interesting points that it raises. Acclaimed professor “Alma” (Julia Roberts) is seeking tenure, has an unique sort of marriage with psychiatrist “Frederik” (Michael Stuhlbarg) and has a very tactile rapport with provocative fellow teacher “Hank” (Andrew Garfield). She also has a student called “Maggie” (Ayo Edebiri). Now this lass comes from very wealthy stock, is living with her lesbian law student girlfriend “Alex” (Lio Mehiel) and it is her who makes an accusation that sees “Hank” well and truly kicked into touch. Naturally, she turns to “Alma” for emotional support but that woman is conflicted. She knows that “Hank” isn’t perfect, but could he really be guilty? She also believes that “Maggie” has a bit of a crush on her. Might this be a way of attracting attention? Coming from such a propseprous background, has “Maggie” just suffered from years of ermine-coated neglect? All of those questions are legitimately presented here but if you’re looking for answers, then this simply doesn’t deliver. Indeed the ponderous route to what passes for it’s denouement, for me at any rate, was entirely unsatisfactory and possibly even cavalier with the lives being impacted and trashed by the power of one indictment and the concomitant gossip and rumour-mongering. In fact, that fundamental question of guilt or innocence is swiftly and fairly completely swept under a convenient rug in order to focus on a storyline that thereafter I found irresponsibly uninteresting and unremarkably delivered by both Roberts and Edebiri. An anxiety-ridden cry for help or attention or is it something wholly one-sidedly incomplete? My vote is for the latter. It does take a pop at the superciliousness of the chattering classes, but it doesn’t do much for role of justice much.