After the Hunt Review: Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri Explore Sexual Politics
Director Luca Guadagnino continues to delve into the complex impact of desire and love on perception with his latest film, After the Hunt. Following Challengers and Queer, Guadagnino examines how relationships can distort reality and human connections.
Guadagnino’s Thematic Focus
In Challengers, Guadagnino portrayed a deeply twisted love triangle, leading Zendaya to suggest viewers watch the movie twice to grasp its intricate character dynamics. His film Queer featured Daniel Craig as a frantic, obsessive man yearning for an indifferent younger partner.
After the Hunt’s Story Dynamics
After the Hunt moves away from intense external pressures like a tennis championship or an ayahuasca trip. Instead, it centers on a pyramid of longing among characters, marked by underlying resentment rather than a simple love triangle.
Reception and Criticism
The film premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in August, receiving mixed to negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds a 49% rating, making it the lowest-rated of Guadagnino’s works to date.
"With Challengers, Guadagnino presented a love triangle so twisted that leading lady Zendaya insisted audiences needed to see the movie twice to get a proper feel for all the character dynamics."
"With Queer, Daniel Craig wound himself up into a frantic and sometimes pathetic obsessive, pining for a rather unremarkable younger man who couldn’t handle such intensity or devotion."
After the Hunt is less about fast-paced tension and more about the complexities of desire and resentment in human relationships.
Author’s summary: Guadagnino’s After the Hunt offers a nuanced, though divisive, exploration of desire’s power to shape complex emotional landscapes, reflected in its mixed critical reception.