The Dutchman

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The Dutchman

R

Jan 2026

1h 28m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

44 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Clay, a successful but troubled black businessman, attends therapy sessions with his wife, Kaya, in an attempt to salvage their marriage. But their mysterious therapist is not all that he seems, and begins to unexpectedly appear to Clay outside of their sessions. On a New York subway train, Clay encounters Lula, a seductive but sinister white stranger who slowly begins to unravel his life. Clay must discover the truth behind this encounter to get back to his wife, heal his fractured soul, and survive the night. In this modern adaptation of the 1964 Obie Award winning play, The Dutchman brings a contemporary edge to the original, exploring themes of race and identity in America.

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Critics Consensus

Despite strong aesthetics and Andre Holland's richly textured performance, The Dutchman unfolds as a muddled reworking of the stage play that fails to find thematic coherence and a sense of identity.

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Linda Marric

HeyUGuys

5d

3/5

While it does not fully realise its potential, the film succeeds in sparking conversation and challenging its audience.

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Peter Travers

The Travers Take

Jan 9

3/4

In a fresh film take a 1964 race play, Kate Mara’s sexed-up subway rider hits on André Holland like a white Eve out to destroy a Black Adam through assimilation, intimidation, and worse. You can’t watch it passively. It dares you to engage.

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Murtada Elfadl

Variety

Jan 6

The film adds modern references and takes place in the present, but its treatment of the play’s themes remains murky and marred by an inability to let go of what director Andre Gaines evidently considers to be a sacred text.

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Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

Mar 16

The film’s title evokes the legend of the doomed Flying Dutchman ship and the legacy of European colonialism: slavery and its corrosive downstream residues. Gaines’s take on Baraka is a daring revival that provokes more than it persuades.

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Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

Mar 5

3/5

There’s a lot of very good work in The Dutchman.

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Alan Ng

Film Threat

Mar 3

8/10

Great movies to me are stories that engage from start to finish and ask important questions at the end. The Dutchman does that from start to finish.

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Natasha

Mar 2

I enjoyed the movie and felt that the message was very powerful. I am looking forward to reading the book.

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Juandi

Feb 3

It’s always underwhelming & awkward when good actors can’t make up for a movie that’s lacking in many areas. It had potential to be a fun mind trip but instead ends up leaving you asking “I guess?”

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laurence k

Jan 8

New but still true to the original, The Dutchman ends up impressing on many levels. Terrific acting and music with cinematography that creates an unsettling, disturbing mood throughout. I feel like my audience all knew the original and we all applauded afterwards.

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Marie

Jan 7

This film would’ve been better in the theater rather than theatrical format. While it was short in length, it just felt drawn out to make it 90 minutes. I was alone in the theater and I understood why. There was very little if any marketing and it was boring, beautifully acted but boring for a movie.

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Phillip

Jan 6

I liked it. Shout out Black Love.

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Robert O

Jan 6

Movie should have been better. Needed more depth into the wife’s affair to start the movie to sympathize with the husband and the pain and betrayal he felt. And his affair needed to be much steamier if that was going to be a main focus.

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Andre Gaines

Director

André Holland

Clay

Kate Mara

Lula

Stephen Henderson

Dr. Amiri

Zazie Beetz

Kaya

Aldis Hodge

Warren

7 Films (and 1 TV Series) We Can’t Wait to See at SXSW 2025

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Synopsis

Clay, a successful but troubled black businessman, attends therapy sessions with his wife, Kaya, in an attempt to salvage their marriage. But their mysterious therapist is not all that he seems, and begins to unexpectedly appear to Clay outside of their sessions. On a New York subway train, Clay encounters Lula, a seductive but sinister white stranger who slowly begins to unravel his life. Clay must discover the truth behind this encounter to get back to his wife, heal his fractured soul, and survive the night. In this modern adaptation of the 1964 Obie Award winning play, The Dutchman brings a contemporary edge to the original, exploring themes of race and identity in America.

Director: Andre Gaines
Producer: Andre Gaines, Jonathan Baker
Screenwriter: Qasim Basir, Andre Gaines
Distributor: Rogue Pictures / Inaugural Entertainment
Production Co: Federal Films, Cinemation Studios, Washingston Square Films
Rating: R (Brief Violence|Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 2, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 3, 2026
Runtime: 1h 28m

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