“After the Hunt” follows a college professor who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroad when a student levels an accusation against one of her colleagues.

“After the Hunt” has strokes of brilliance; it’s also overindulgent to the point of complete boredom. Both of these things can be true.

The film walks a fine line with its messaging, bordering on both sides of the aisle. It offers intricate dialogue discussing the #MeToo movement and cancel culture. By examining two sides of a complex situation, it’s able to craft a complete portrait — though at times also not feeling whole at all. Sexual assault is an emotional and intimate subject that the film handles with grace. It examines the mixed reactions that it causes, and the “he said, she said” nature of accusations.

As its title suggests, the film becomes even more interesting in the aftermath of the accusation. The movie spends time exploring how the event affects characters on both ends, allowing the audience to choose sides and reflect on the situation in the process.

On the surface, it appears that “After the Hunt” aims to champion and support victims of assault. The film is extremely unclear in this messaging at times, however. Because so little runtime is dedicated to the accuser, her significance often feels diminished.

The movie also struggles to maintain these topics at a high level over the course of a 139-minute runtime. Mixing in themes about unhappy marriages, academia and other broad subjects, “After the Hunt” loses focus. This limits the film’s impact, preventing it from reaching the heights it needed to. It also leads to large segments of the movie being… boring. With so much content, it all gets clouded together at a certain point.

The performances make “After the Hunt” work. The star of the show is Julia Roberts (Alma). Roberts is onscreen for virtually the entire length, with a performance that defines the movie. She is intellectual and calculated, with her delivery signifying an individual holding so many secrets inside. Ayo Edebiri (Maggie) and Andrew Garfield (Henrik) are equally impressive. Edebiri is full of life but also sinks into the necessary emotional depths to portray this character. Garfield showcases the most range, constantly switching from charming to stoic to rageful. The three actors together make “After the Hunt” a movie worth watching. Michael Stuhlbarg (Frederik) delivers another notable performance. While his screen time is limited, Stuhlbarg adds subtle humor and emotional weight that pairs well with Roberts.

Luca Guadagnino brings an undeniably fierce style that is hard to ignore. Constantly shifting focus and panning across spaces adds a layer of movement to every scene. Consistent close-up shots are also utilized to capture details on characters’ faces or bodies.

The score is also electric. It will annoy many, but “After the Hunt” integrates “noise” to perfection. There is always music, ticking or other audio clutter accompanying every sequence of dialogue. This makes the viewer completely hone in to every moment, giving undivided attention to the screen.

“After the Hunt” is ambitious. It’s both genius and frustrating, but you can’t say that it plays it safe. A star-studded trio, immersive cinematography, an electric score and timely topics make this an intriguing watch from start to finish. It may not provide the answers you desire, but it does ask a lot of questions.

Rating: 3 out of 5