The Dutchman, a film written and directed by Andre Gaines, takes viewers on a subway ride through time and imagination. Of all the films I saw at the 2025 edition of the SXSW Conference and Festivals, this film was the most intellectually stimulating. The world premiere of this thriller was part of the 32nd year of SXSW, which included 96 features with multiple world, international, and North American premieres.
The Surface
André Holland (42, Shirley) stars as Clay, a successful Black businessman with personal problems. He attends counseling with his wife, Kaya, played by Zazie Beetz (Atlanta, Nine Days), attempting to patch up his marriage. Their therapist begins to appear outside the therapy sessions in spooky ways.
Then, on a New York subway train, things become another level stranger. Clay sees Lula, played by Kate Mara (House of Cards, 24). Lula, a seductive and sinister white female, begins to complicate his already troubled life. She attempts to seduce him, in sometimes condescending ways. Clay struggles to understand what this seduction means and what her aim really is. Reality seems skewed. Is Lula real? How can he get back to his wife? Can he survive this strange subway ride?
Going Deeper
Those elements alone could make for an intriguing thriller, but The Dutchman goes much deeper than that. To understand the subtleties, we need to know the inspiration for the film.
In remarks on the red carpet and during the Q&A after the film, writer/director Andre Gaines explained the origins of the story, and how he gave it a new meaning.
Dutchman was originally a one-act play written in 1964 by playwright Amiri Baraka, then still known by his birth name, LeRoi Jones. The play won an Obie Award from The Village Voice newspaper. Obie Awards go to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway productions in New York City.
Lamenting the death of Martin Luther King, Baraka intended with Dutchman to depict the state of Black/white relations. He felt Blacks were still victims of oppression, and that was the theme of his play. The businessman was named “clay” to represent how Black identity and manhood could be molded by contemporary society. The name “Dutchman” references the Dutch ships that had been involved in the slave trade.
In 1967, director Anthony Harvey turned the play into a movie starring Al Freeman Jr. as Clay and Shirley Knight as Lula. In a surprising creative touch, there is a moment in the 2025 film when Clay sees a scene on the subway from the 1967 film playing on a screen.
What Changed
Writer/director Gaines explained that the position of Black people in American society and the possibilities open to them had changed dramatically since Baraka had written the play and screenplay in the 1960s.
Gaines said, “Baraka didn’t think there was any value in American society. But in our film, we reverse that. If you know what your history is, you can try not to repeat it.”
Kate Mara found her role as Lula complicated. She explained: “I never played such a dynamic character before. She was such a challenge for me. Throughout the whole film I was trying to figure her out so that she wasn’t just a villain but had layers.”
Another change was the addition of Clay’s wife, played by Zazie Beetz. “I also enjoyed the character,” she said. “It was a new character, so we had a lot of flexibility in building her. I wanted her not only to be the grounded supportive Black wife, but also someone trying to get her life together.”
Future of SXSW
Next year’s SXSW will take place March 12 through 18. You can find out more at its website or on X, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
SXSW, long a part of the cultural scene of Austin, Texas, has expanded into other parts of the world. The Asia Pacific region has enjoyed SXSW Sydney since in 2023. Later this year, European movie, music, and tech creatives can experience SXSW London. The conference promises that each of these events will have its own special flavor.
The post SXSW 2025 Film Review: ‘The Dutchman’ – On a Subway with Culture, Creativity, André Holland and Kate Mara appeared first on Blogcritics.