AFTER THE HUNT on Prime Video is the latest movie from filmmaker Luca Guadagnino. As always, it’s extremely character-driven, and the fierce screenplay comes from Nora Garrett. Julia Roberts plays the all-important lead role. Read our full After the Hunt movie review here!
AFTER THE HUNT is now out on Prime Video, and fans of filmmaker Luca Guadagnino will definitely want to watch this. It’s not too often that we review movies directed by men, but I will gladly make an exception for him. Not least because he often makes movies with fleshed-out and complex characters – of any and all genders.
With this movie, the screenplay also comes from a female screenwriter, Nora Garrett, who also executive produces, and the key characters are women. Well, certainly the characters that keep the story moving forward (or even sideways) as the plot thickens and evolves.
The runtime is 2 hours and 18 minutes, which may seem very long, but (as always) it feels spot-on for this filmmaker. Continue reading our After the Hunt movie review below. Find it on Prime Video globally from November 20, 2025.
He Said, She Said
On the surface, After the Hunt is a very simple “He said, she said” situation about an accusation of a sexual assault. He is Hank (Andrew Garfield), a professor at Yale, and she is Maggie (Ayo Edibiri), a student at Yale.
Also, she is not just any student. She’s gay, black, and female. Three things that could work against her. However, her parents are extremely rich and powerful, and she’s very close to another professor, Alma (Julia Roberts), who is also best friends with the accused Hank.
Also, there’s a question of whether Maggie possibly wants Alma or wants to be Alma?! Finally, Alma and Hank are both up for tenure, which they both crave.
It’s an extremely volatile situation for many reasons, and while Hank does not look good in this situation at all, everyone also questions whether Maggie could have an ulterior motive. The same goes for Alma, with tenure on the line, and she also has a very strange partnership with her husband, Frederik (Michael Stuhlbarg).
Alma is in constant physical pain, which she dulls with pills and alcohol, while her husband appears either caring or tormenting. There is no in between. Either he’s cooking and showing nothing but love, or he is playing music at extreme volumes as some sort of punishment.
Broken people break people
Everything in the After the Hunt story is lined up for everyone to look guilty, while also leaving room for any one of them to be innocent, but possibly want to exploit the situation. Then again, this also plays into the notion that women accuse men to achieve something. Not anything in particular, but something.
Despite the fact that women rarely come out on top in these situations, while most men tend to bounce back. If not immediately, then within a few months or years.
Then again, Maggie is not just “some” young woman. She is a young gay and black woman, which she states as a disadvantage while ignoring the fact that she has wealth – and the very real power that comes with it – backing her at all times.
As we see Alma trying to navigate this situation at both her place of work and in her private life, a secret from her past is also lurking in the background. Will this change everything if brought into the light? If one thing was clear to me, it was that broken people seem hellbent on trying to break other people.
Why? Well, maybe because misery loves company?! Or to feel superior in some way?! Both are possible, and they are not mutually exclusive.
One thing is certain: I loved seeing Julia Roberts navigate the many different sides of her character, Alma. The same goes for every actor in the cast, but especially Julia Roberts.
Watch After the Hunt on Prime Video now!
As already mentioned, Luca Guadagnino is the director of After the Hunt. He previously directed the iconic gay coming-of-age movie Call Me By Your Name (2017), the 2018 horror thriller remake of Suspiria, starring Dakota Johnson, and he also directed the amazing HBO coming-of-age series We Are Who We Are.
That series had Chloë Sevigny and Alice Braga as a married couple, and I didn’t enjoy this show at first. Then I loved it by its ending. He has a way of getting under your skin, this filmmaker. Most recently, before this 2025 movie, he came out with Queer (2024), starring Daniel Craig.
After the Hunt is a psychological thriller, but could also easily be called a crime drama, if you’re so inclined. This depends both on how you view the story and who or what you believe.
The screenplay from Nora Garrett (who also plays Billie in the movie) is fascinating in its simple premise, but with complex relationships and so much left unsaid between most people.
Ultimately, this movie has a vibe of urgency paired with a “this too shall pass” notion. The kind that is so difficult to recognize when you are in the middle of a tense situation, but easily understood in retrospect.
Basically, it’s a fascinating study in human emotion and reaction… in classic Luca Guadagnino style. Now paired with the obviously brilliant mind of Nora Garrett. This was her debut as a screenwriter, and I cannot wait to see what comes next from her!
Womentainment Recommendation
Watch After the Hunt for the way this plot will challenge, irritate, annoy, and move you. Who you believe or support might change as the movie continues – or it will stay the same throughout. It all depends on which of the characters you recognize or relate to the most.
At least this was my personal experience when watching the movie. And also from hearing other people comment on their experiences with it. Do not miss out on this… and try to stay open to the characters throughout.
AFTER THE HUNT is out on Prime Video Worldwide on November 20, 2025.
Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
Written by: Nora Garrett
Cast: Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny
Official plot:
AFTER THE HUNT is a gripping psychological drama about a college professor (Julia Roberts) who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star student (Ayo Edebiri) levels an accusation against one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield), and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come into the light.
