Why Is Julia Roberts’s After The Hunt Movie Under Fire?(Photo Credit –YouTube)
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After The Hunt is an upcoming psychological thriller starring Julia Roberts that recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The film focuses on Roberts’ character Alma Inhoff, who has to face a major conflict of interest after her friend and colleague Henrik “Hank” Gibson (Andrew Garfield) is accused of s*xual assault by her star mentee Margaret “Maggie” Resnick (Ayo Edebiri).
The film’s tackling of such sensitive subject matter has not come without controversy, however. The themes explored in the movie sparked an immediate debate around feminism, pitting women against each other, and victim-blaming. Roberts spoke out against the backlash during the Venice Film Festival, claiming people were “losing the art of conversation.”
Why Is There A Backlash To After The Hunt?
During the Venice Film Festival press conference, a reporter claimed that After The Hunt may be damaging to the #MeToo movement, thanks to dredging up old arguments about whether women who bring up their stories of s*xual assault should be believed, and the idea of women being pitted against each other.
Julia Roberts addressed the points during the question by saying, per The Guardian: “Not to be disagreeable, because it’s not in my nature, but the thing you said that I love is it ‘revives old arguments.’ I don’t think it’s just reviving an argument of women being pitted against each other or not supporting each other. There are a lot of old arguments that get rejuvenated that creates conversation.”
The actress insisted that the movie wasn’t just written to generate controversy for the sake of it, but was a genuinely earnest attempt at having difficult conversations, with her believing that society was unfortunately “losing the art of conversation in humanity right now.”
Roberts further claimed that the fact that people were discussing the film’s challenging themes was an indicator of After The Hunt’s successful approach. “The best part of your question is that you all came out of the theatre talking about it. That’s how we wanted it to feel. You realise what you believe in strongly because we stir it all up for you. So, you’re welcome.”
The film’s director, Luca Guadagnino, had his own input on the controversy. He stated that the film tackled the difficult problem of reconciling the truths of multiple people and wasn’t about “making a manifesto to revive old-fashioned values.”
During the conference, there were also questions about politics, the attempt to spark controversy and the portrayal of “troubled” women in the film. “Trouble is where the juicy stuff is,” Roberts said in response. “It’s like dominos of conflict, once one falls, then suddenly everywhere you turn, there’s some new piece of conflict and challenge. That’s what makes it worth getting up and going to work in the morning.” “That’s how you grow,” Ayo Edebiri added. “That’s the type of movie I enjoy watching.”
After The Hunt Continues To Divide Netizens & Critics Alike
Although Julia Roberts and director Luca Guadagnino stand firmly behind the film, reactions from critics and the internet are far more divided. X user @vnbvrnt struggled to assume good faith about the movie and claimed that the people behind it really were seeking controversy for its own sake.
the reaction to after the hunt is making me lose the benefit of doubt i was having for it. it seems they are more interested in generating controversy and strong reactions for the sake of it and not because there is actually something to say pic.twitter.com/kjTXzpRseS
On the other hand, user @firstshowing was incredibly impressed with the movie and praised its “philosophically/intellectual complex script” that addressed the culture of denial around s*xual assault.
After the Hunt – Luca Guadanigno’s best film after CMBYN. An exceptionally dense, philosophically/intellectually complex script that directly address sexual assault denialism. Meticulously crafted, entrancing & harrowing to watch. Loved it – hasn’t left my mind at all. #Venezia82pic.twitter.com/zIurSXJ1uP
As for the film’s reviews so far, Decider’s Marshall Shaffer claimed that the film was “too smart for its own good” and often became too didactic when tackling the delicate theme of sexual assault.
Meanwhile, Awards Watch’s Roberto Ruggio believed that the film’s decision to give every character a dark secret made the plot too convoluted and called it a “misfire.”
‘After the Hunt’ Review: Despite a Stellar Julia Roberts, Luca Guadagnino’s Latest is a #MeToo Misfire [C-] Venice https://t.co/czskuS6dJG
