Julia Roberts is defending her new film “After the Hunt” following criticism at the Venice Film Festival that it undermines the #MeToo movement. In the psychological thriller, Roberts plays a university professor caught in the fallout when her mentee (Ayo Edebiri) accuses a male colleague (Andrew Garfield) of misconduct. Some critics argue the movie risks casting doubt on female accusers, but Roberts pushed back, saying the goal is to provoke difficult but necessary conversations. “The best part is that you all came out of the theater talking about it,” Roberts said, noting the film stirs debate rather than taking sides. “We’re not making statements; we are portraying these people in this moment in time.”