US actor Julia Roberts has defended her latest film ‘After the Hunt’, rejecting claims that its ambiguous portrayal of a campus sexual assault allegation undermines feminist ideals or promotes politically incorrect narratives.
Directed by Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino and starring Roberts alongside Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield, the drama premiered on Friday at the Venice Film Festival, marking Roberts’ first-ever appearance on the Lido’s famed red carpet.
Roberts plays Alma Olsson, a Yale philosophy professor whose world is thrown into turmoil when her longtime friend and colleague is accused of sexually assaulting one of her favourite students. The film explores how liberal academic circles grapple with questions of loyalty, power, identity, and generational divides when faced with such allegations.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the premiere, Roberts pushed back against suggestions that the film reinforces harmful narratives about survivors, particularly Black women, while maintaining ambiguity around accused men.
“We’re not making statements, we are portraying these people in these moments of time,” Roberts said. “We are challenging people to have a conversation and to be excited by that or to be infuriated by that. It’s up to you … if making this movie does anything, getting everybody to talk to each other is the most exciting thing.”
The Oscar-winning actress, who earned her Academy Award in 2001 for Erin Brockovich, said she was drawn to the complexity of Alma Olsso, a character addicted to painkillers and struggling to navigate personal and professional conflicts while confronting the sexual assault allegation.
“Trouble is where the juicy stuff is, right? … It’s like dominoes of conflict. Once one falls, suddenly everywhere you turn there’s some new piece of challenge. And that’s what makes it worth getting up and going to work in the morning,” she said.
Guadagnino described the film as an exploration of competing truths rather than a clear moral judgment. “Everyone has their own truth. It’s not that one truth is more important than another,” he explained.
He also framed the story as a study of ambition and power dynamics, highlighting Roberts’ character’s pursuit of career advancement within Yale’s politically fraught environment. “When I see the ambition of wanting something beyond other people, I’m quite interested, because it’s a damnation,” Guadagnino said, adding with a smile that he personally desires only “tranquillity.”
Despite his claims of seeking calm, Guadagnino’s work ethic suggests otherwise. He has maintained a steady pace of high-profile releases, including Queer with Daniel Craig at last year’s Venice Festival and Bones & All with Timothée Chalamet in 2022. His film Challengers was initially set to open the 2023 festival but was withdrawn due to the Hollywood actors’ strike.
‘After the Hunt’ is screening out of competition at Venice and is therefore not in contention for the prestigious Golden Lion, which will be awarded on September 6.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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