The much-hyped movie After the Hunt set a dramatic pace at CinemaCon, leaving crowds stunned and riveted.
Feature an all-star cast, with Hollywood heavy-hitters Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, and Andrew Garfield topping the bill and with Oscar-nominated director Luca Guadagnino behind the camera, reported Variety.
Already picking up awards momentum, After the Hunt was shown to an audience of international theater owners at their yearly Las Vegas convention, providing a tight and assertive presentation.
According to Variety, the movie is about Julia Roberts as a college professor whose personal and professional life is rocked by a stormy crossroads when one of her brightest students, Ayo Edebiri, accuses one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield) of misconduct. In the midst of the chaos from the serious charges, the professor has to deal with a dark secret from her own past that has the potential to resurface.
Guadagnino suggested this could be Roberts' best performance to date, the advance clip introducing her as a crisply intellectual East Coast professor with beautifully blonde hair. Her peers, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloe Sevigny, fawn over her intellect, while Garfield's character—a madcap former lover—tests her verbally and physically.
Edebiri's character, a bright student, shows up at Roberts' apartment visibly shaken, accusing Garfield's character of impropriety, saying, "He kept going after I said no." The scandal that unfolds pushes moral and ethical limits, with consequences for Roberts' character that go far beyond, as past sins come to haunt her.
In a charged confrontation, Edebiri's character insists, "I'm no longer comfortable having this conversation with you." To which Roberts snarkily responds, "Not everything is supposed to make you comfortable."
Taking to the stage at CinemaCon, Guadagnino professed huge pride in the project, declaring, "I'm extremely proud of what I'm going to share with you tonight." Based on the film's reception, he might be forced to repeat those words over and over again come awards season.
Directed by Imagine and Frensey Film Company, After the Hunt is supported by producers Jeb Brody, Allan Mandelbaum, Luca Guadagnino, and Brian Grazer. Moreover, Karen Lunder, Justin Wilkes, Nora Garrett, and Alice Dawson are executive producers.
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