Julia Roberts hit difficult questions about a new movie in Venice

Venice, Italy (AP) – Julia Roberts and the filmmaker Luca Guadagnino faced specific questions about complicity and undermine the feminist movement at a press conference for “After The Hunt” on Friday at the Venice Film Festival.

The film, set in the world of higher education where Roberts plays a beloved professor of philosophy, revolves around an accusation of misconduct. His apprentice, played by Ayo Edebiri, accuses his friend and colleague, played by Andrew Garfield, to cross the line. Nora Garrett’s script does not offer easy or simple resolutions.

A journalist asked Roberts if he thought the film undermines the feminist movement and the progress of the #MeToo movement.

“I do not necessarily think that an old argument revives that women face each other,” Roberts said.

“After The Hunt” was screened on Thursday night for press and industry before it was released on Friday night and quickly caused a debate about the festival, although most of all seemed to agree on Roberts’s excellent performance. He received an ovation of six minutes after his premiere.

For Roberts, he joked that he loved “the early softball questions in the morning”, the point is the conversations caused by the film. The motto in the poster even says: “It is not supposed to make everything feel comfortable.”

“This is how we wanted him to feel,” Roberts said. “Everyone comes out with all these different feelings, emotions and points of view. And you realize what you think strongly and what your convictions are because we stir everything for you. So, you’re welcome.”

Guadagnino also jumped, saying: “Thus we see the clash of truths. It is not about making a manifesto to revive outdated values.”

Stefania d’Alessandro through Getty Images

Roberts added that they are not making statements with “after hunting.” On the contrary, she likes to think about it as a camera that abandoned the sky to capture these characters in this thorny moment where everyone seems to be lying to themselves and others.

“We are losing the art of conversation in humanity at this time,” Roberts said. “If doing this movie does something, making everyone talk to each other is the most exciting thing we could achieve.”

The film, which Amazon MGM Studios will premiere in theaters of North America on October 10, also uses a family -looking source for its initial loans: the Windsor style typography that Woody Allen became famous for Woody Allen in some of his most famous films, from “Annie Hall” to “Minor crimes and crimes.” When asked why he chose this, Guadagnino said the rude response is: “Why not?”

Guadagnino gave more details about this choice, saying that when he and his collaborators were gathering “after hunting”, they could not stop thinking about how linked he felt with the “great work of Woody Allen” between the years of 1985 and 1991.

“I felt that it was an interesting wink to think about an artist who has somehow facing some kind of problems about his being and what is our responsibility to work with an artist we love,” he said.

The film is not reproducing in the main competition at the festival, so it will not be ready for the awards on September 6, but it is a return to a family place for Guadagnino. Last year he brought “queer”, with Daniel Craig, and several years ago he had “Bones & All”, with Timothée Chalamet. He was supposed to be his Triangulo de Tennis “Challengers”, with Zendaya, opened Venice in 2023, but Hollywood strikes overturned much of the festival of that year and was retired.

Theo Wargo through Getty Images

Roberts is not a newcomer from Venice, since he has worked in the city in the past, but this marks his first time at the festival.

“It’s very magical,” Roberts said about the city, although this trip said “I haven’t done anything out of work.”

Three days later, the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival is in full apogee with many important premieres to come, including “Frankenstein” by Guillermo del Toro, “The Smashing Machine” by Benny Safdie and “A House of Dynamite” by Kathryn Bigelow.

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