Julia Roberts Star rebuts critics of #MeToo film

Julia Roberts has defended her new #MeToo-themed film, After the Hunt, from accusations that it revives anti-feminist arguments, saying humanity was at risk of "losing the art of conversation".

- Nadia Khomami

The Oscar-winning actor is making her Venice film festival debut with the psychological thriller from the Italian director Luca Guadagnino. It premiered out of competition on the Lido yesterday.

The psychological drama is set in the world of higher education and stars Roberts as a beloved professor who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star student (the Bear's Ayo Edebiri) accuses her friend and colleague (Andrew Garfield) of assault. The cast also includes Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny.

Unsurprisingly, the film's exploration of conflict and power dynamics spilled into a press conference yesterday, where the first question to Roberts was whether the drama undermined feminist principles.