André Gaines’s psychological thriller, “The Dutchman,” delves into racial and sexual politics in a way that recalls Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” — so much so that its title could have been an exhortative “Go In,” though not nearly as catchy.
The film, an update of Amiri Baraka’s 1964 play, “Dutchman,” even begins with a Carl Jung quote: “Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.”
In this version, which Gaines cowrote with Qasim Basir, André Holland stars as a beleaguered businessman named Clay, who, early on, sits beside his wife, Kaya (Zazie Beetz), facing their therapist Dr. Amiri (Stephen McKinley Henderson). If Clay looks unhappy, he is: Kaya has had an affair.
After Kaya leaves the office, Dr. Amiri prescribes something to ease Clay’s misery: “Dutchman,” the play that aided him “at one of the darkest times in my life.” It the doctor’s confession seems slightly unorthodox, the replica of a stage with a figurine on the mantle is surely intent on making the viewer wonder.
When Clay encounters Lula (Kate Mara) on a subway train, there will be plenty more to wonder about in this symbol-suffused, reality-meets-allegory exploration of racial anxieties. With her uncanny pallor, red hair and redder lipstick, Lula is a piece of work. (A randy sis of “Weapons” Aunt Gladys comes to mind.) “A slightly nutty (wholly dangerous) white female bohemian” is how the Baraka once described her.
As with the play (and its 1967 film adaptation), the sexual politics here are messy. What isn’t is the filmmakers’ bold dive into the archives of the nascent Black Arts Movement for a throughline. “Sometimes we find pieces of ourselves in literature that help us heal,” the good doctor tells Clay. Indeed.
The Dutchman Rated R for sexual content, language and brief violence. Running time: 1 hour 28 minutes. In theaters.
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