After the Hunt (MA) – 139 minutes

Yale University becomes a hotbed of discontent after an accusation made by a star, gay philosophy student against a flirtatious professor.

Maggie Resnick (Ayo Edebiri) is the young, ambitious student concerned. She is the adopted daughter of uber wealthy parents, who are among the university’s largest donors.

Maggie is in a relationship with law student Alex (Lio Mehiel).

Maggie is the protégé of respected professor Alma Imhoff (Julia Roberts), whom she admires and to whom she is attracted.

Suffering from a chronic illness that she withholds from everyone other than her husband, Alma is ambitious in her own right.

She is close to receiving tenure at the university, in a discipline where 80 per cent of the professoriate are men.

Married to psychiatrist Frederik (Michael Stuhlbarg), who loves her unconditionally, she is particularly close to fellow professor Hank Gibson (Andrew Garfield).

Hank, too, is up for tenure, competing amiably but determinedly with Alma for what might by only one spot.

But the lives of Maggie, Alma and Hank are about to be upended after Maggie accuses Hank of rape, something he vehemently denies.

Both Maggie and Hank appeal to Alma for support.

She isn’t sure who to believe, but she has a dark childhood secret she is carrying that Alma chances upon.

Written by novice screenwriter Nora Garrett, After the Hunt is a high stakes psychological thriller – a morality tale in which deception and power loom large.

It is good to see Julia Roberts playing against type in assuming the role of a closed off, cold, calculating and unsympathetic character.

There is a complexity about Ayo Edebiri as Maggie Resnick, who lives in fear that she will always be an outsider.

Andrew Garfield imbues Hank Gibson with a full-on, all guns blazing persona.

Michael Stuhlbarg brings empathy and intellect to bear as Frederik was raised by two Freudian psychoanalysts. He has an almost puppy like devotion to his wife, regardless of her peccadilloes.

While intriguing, with several twists, I thought that After the Hunt was too drawn out.

Notwithstanding a series of interesting characters, the unfolding story frequently meandered and almost became too clever by halves.

I would have liked to have seen acclaimed director Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name) tighten the reins.

And for me too much was left unresolved as we move to a convenient ending. Given the set up and how tangled the web became, I wanted more.

I do not want to suggest that After the Hunt doesn’t have merit. The cat and mouse game does, but I felt that, ultimately, it fell short of what it could have been.

Also, as a matter of interest Guadagnino gives a nod to Woody Allen with the style of font in the opening and closing credits.

Rated MA, it scores a 7½ out of 10.