After the Hunt debuts at Venice amid MeToo debate

Luca Guadagnino’s new film After the Hunt premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Friday, drawing a spirited reception and renewed debate over its treatment of MeToo-era themes. The psychological drama, which screened out of competition on the Lido, stars Julia Roberts as a celebrated Ivy League philosophy professor whose life is upended when a student played by Ayo Edebiri accuses a colleague portrayed by Andrew Garfield of sexual misconduct. The film had its world premiere at the Sala Grande and will open in U.S. theaters in limited release on October 10 before expanding nationwide on October 17.

Guadagnino, Roberts, Edebiri and Garfield fielded pointed questions at a later press conference about whether the movie risks undermining feminist gains or reviving divisive arguments about believing accusers. Nora Garrett’s screenplay avoids tidy resolutions, and the cast was repeatedly asked to explain the film’s politics. "The idea of the movie is that we are looking at people in their truths," Guadagnino said, adding that the story examines "the clash of truths" rather than issuing a manifesto. Roberts pushed back on claims the film is politically corrective, saying, "We are...