(Photo Credit: Amazon MGM Studios)
(“After the Hunt” trailer courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios)
“After the Hunt” is one of those good old intellectual thrillers or dramas.
Suppose moviegoers can get past the jargon and intellectualism/elitism of the Ivy League-based movie.
In that case, the underlying message of the film is vital during the current climate of male-female relationships, especially in the workplace.
As a result, “After the Hunt” becomes a good depiction of what true victimhood looks like, especially when the real victim is not always obvious at first sight.
Any professor worth anything wants tenure.
Obtaining tenure, especially at an Ivy League school like Yale University, gives an academician freedom to explore new ideas and research without fear of losing their jobs for the tiniest of infractions.
To become a tenured professor at one of the most prestigious universities on the planet secures a form of credibility that can open doors for a person and catapult them to greatness on the academic scene.
In “After the Hunt,” two professors from Yale’s philosophy department are in the running for that coveted tenured job.
However, only one can receive the title.
Alma (Julia Roberts, “Ben is Back”) is arguably the most respected professor in the philosophy department.
Her students worship her, and her colleagues admire her.
Even during her off hours, she and her husband, Frederik (Michael Stuhlbarg, “The Shape of Water”), often host dinner parties, which become social events to discuss the pertinent issues of the day, such as the idea of morality and political leadership.
A frequent guest at those dinner parties is Alma’s good friend and co-worker Hank (Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”).
In “After the Hunt,” Hank is that young, charismatic professor whom all the women at Yale are drawn to, whether they are faculty or students.
In an era in which men are shying away from physical contact with females or relationships on the job, Hank is still that touchy-feely man who seems to get a little too comfortable with the women at the job.
Even while in the presence of Frederik, Hank is extremely affectionate with Alma, which Frederik often mentions to his wife.
Although Alma insists that she is just friends with Hank, Frederik is well aware of Hank’s feelings for his wife.
He just wishes Hank would make it less obvious.
However, the flirtatious Hank is not just touchy-feely with Alma.
He is also handsy with graduate student Maggie (Ayo Edebiri)
Although Maggie is an out lesbian with a live-in nonbinary partner, Alex (Lio Mehiel), it does not stop Hank from somewhat shooting his shot.
Add an endless supply of alcohol in the mix, and there might be a recipe for disaster at these “work” socials.
Drinking too much at “work” functions can lead to disaster if a person is not too careful.
Additionally, allowing colleagues into one’s home can lead to some controversy if someone runs across something that they should not have.
When Alma encourages Maggie to use one of her private restrooms because Frederik is working on a project in the restroom usually used by guests, she stumbles across a foreign language article while looking for a roll of toilet paper.
For some reason, the Ph.D. student steals the newspaper clipping before returning to the party.
Something is intriguing to Maggie about the hidden article.
Likewise, something is intriguing about Hank’s relationship with Maggie.
And when it is time to depart, Maggie allows Hank to accompany her home.
While that may look inappropriate, maybe Hank is trying to be a gentleman by making sure his female student gets back to her apartment safely instead of allowing her to travel home by herself in the middle night.
Whatever his intentions are, it does not turn out well for Hank because Maggie comes back to Alma’s house and accuses Hank of becoming inappropriate with her when he comes into her apartment for a nightcap.
Maggie tells Alma that she repeatedly told Hank no and to stop.
But instead, he still went too far while in the apartment.
Today, many people complain about the disappearance of due process.
But how much due process is a person due when they are accused of doing something so evil?
However, what happens if the accusations are not true?
By the time the accusations are proven false, a person’s reputation and career are often beyond repair.
Furthermore, it often seems that more people hear the accusation than the acquittal.
In “After the Hunt,” a ticking clock is often heard in scenes, indicating that a ticking time bomb will soon detonate.
If the proverbial bomb goes off, who and what will be destroyed by the explosion?
And what lies will be exposed in the process?
“After the Hunt” is a solid film if moviegoers can get past some of the boring moral and philosophical discussions throughout the movie.
But the movie is technically about philosophy.
A person’s philosophy on life often determines what side of a story they believe.
If people believe all women when they accuse a man of sexual misconduct, that mindset often influences how they see a man, regardless of evidence.
But if a person does not believe women when they accuse men of sexual misconduct because of their past experiences, will a rapist get away with his crimes?
“After the Hunt” shows that if one uses common sense, not necessarily intellectualism, one can discern those with good moral character from those with the tendency to do something evil.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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