Parents' Guide to After the Hunt

Simultaneously insufferable and impressive, this film is an unsettling think piece that many viewers may find themselves wishing didn't exist in the world. After the Hunt is a #MeToo psychological thriller that feels #TooSoon. Because when a star of Roberts' caliber is at the center of a film that casts doubt on the believability of women reporting rape, it kind of feels like all the efforts of the last 10 years—from #MeToo to #TimesUp and the events depicted in movies like Bombshell and She Said—have been thrown into the fire, leaving us to stare in disbelief as the sisterhood burns.

That said, while the story may drive some viewers to despair, director Luca Guadagnino's craftsmanship is undeniable, and writer Nora Garrett's dialogue sizzles and burns. The performances are excellent, with Michael Stuhlbarg somewhat stealing the show as Alma's mercurial, hapless therapist husband, who's quite aware that he's the fifth fiddle in his wife's world. And the movie's music, scored by awards darlings Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, is ear catching in its unexpectedness. The auditory experience is practically its own character, with the film opening to the loud ticking of a clock—which is both remarkable and misleading, because the pacing feels so slow, but the story is actually moving fairly quickly, every frame relevant and necessary. Guadagnino's film is better on a second viewing, but it's also so "ugh" inducing that it's hard to think most people will choose to go back for more.