After The Hunt

A college professor (Julia Roberts) 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.

Margaret "Maggie" Resnick, is a young philosophy student at Yale University and Alma's (Julia Roberts) protégée. She has wealthy parents, who are generous donors to the university, which comes with certain advantages and privileges.

She is queer and in a committed relationship with Alex (Lío Mehiel).

Maggie sees Alma as a mentor, who she admires greatly, which she expresses by wearing similar clothes, but she is also attracted to Alma which is clear by the way she is looking at and acting around Alma.

After Maggie confides in Alma, she is not quite sure what to do since Alma appears unsure of who to believe which confuses Maggie to the point where she is not sure who to trust anymore.

Production

In March 2024, it was announced that Julia Roberts was set to star in the film, with Luca Guadagnino set to direct. In May, Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri joined the cast. Zendaya was initially set for Edebiri's role, but dropped out. Guadagnino then cast Edebiri after seeing her in Bottoms (2023). Garfield had desired to work with Guadagnino since the release of I Am Love (2009). In June, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny joined the cast.

Principal photography began in London and Cambridge University on July 6, 2024. The film shot on location there for a week before shooting the last five weeks on stage at Shepperton Studios. That same month, Lío Mehiel, Thaddea Graham, Will Price, Christine Dye, and Burgess Byrd joined the cast of the film. Filming wrapped on August 16, after six weeks of shooting. Cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed shot the project on 35mm film, marking his return to a feature film production after 25 years. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the score.

The film had a production budget of $70–80 million, of which Roberts received $20 million. Guadagnino added a racial subtext to the script that was not present in the first draft including race swapping Edebiri's character from white to black and including a backstory in which Roberts' character had worked in Africa.

Release

The film premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 29, 2025, followed by its North American premiere as the opening film of the 63rd New York Film Festival on September 26. It opened in limited release in the United States on October 10, before expanding to wide release on October 17.

It was the first film from Amazon MGM Studios to be released internationally by Sony Pictures Releasing International, following the conclusion of a three-year deal with Warner Bros. Pictures.