Guadagnino’s Flop to Streaming Hit: What Happened?

Luca Guadagnino has established himself as one of the most beloved directors of the past several years thanks to his constant output of conversation-sparking movies. The Call Me by Your Name director tackles some of society’s underexplored topics, often with a unique perspective. In After the Hunthe teams up with seasoned actors to explore a serious campus issue related to sexual assault. Despite his acclaim, the director is not immune to negative reviews, and this latest film is a testament to this. After the Hunt is Guadagnino’s worst-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes with a 37% critic score and 38% audience score. However, the movie is a hit on Prime Videowhere it is currently streaming after an underwhelming theatrical run. After the Hunt is the most-watched movie in many countries worldwide, pushing the film to the top of Prime Video’s Top Ten movies list.

Starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfieldand Ayo Edebiri, After the Hunt is a star-studded affair that also features some reunions between the director and some past collaborators. Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny also star, both of whom have worked with Guadagnino in projects like Call Me by Your Name and We Are Who We Are. Amazon MGM describes the film as a “gripping psychological drama about a college professor (Roberts) who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star student (Edebiri) levels an accusation against one of her colleagues (Garfield), and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come into the light.” Guadagnino directed from a script by Nora Garrett.

Is ‘After the Hunt’ Worth Watching?

By most metrics, the film is bad. From an abysmal box office haul to an equally abysmal critical reception, After the Hunt falters in many ways. The only saving grace might be the performances from Roberts and Garfield, as Collider’s Nate Richard noted in his review. He criticized how derivative the film feels while never quite reaching the heights of its inspirations. After the Hunt fails to fully commit to its thesis, abandoning ideas as quickly as it introduces them. Richards explained:

After the Hunt has a rich premise that could have led to a film that basks in moral complexities and conversation, and while the movie does give us a lot to digest, it also fails to fully commit to the kind of story it wants to be. It presents you with themes using big fancy words, only to move on minutes later. It features terrific performances from Roberts and Garfield, but even they are not enough to save the film from being too muddled and morally ambiguous for its own good.

Watch the movie on Prime Video and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.