Instinct (2019)

Directed by: Halina Reijn | 98 minutes | drama, thriller | Actors: Carice van Houten, Marwan Kenzari, Marie-Mae van Zuilen, Pieter Embrechts, Ariane Schluter, Betty Schuurman, Abdelkarim El Baz, Tamar van den Dop, Robert de Hoog, Kuno Bakker, Juda Goslinga, Barry Emond, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah , Maria Kraakman, Matijs Jansen, Amber van Mierlo, Hanz van der Velde, Felix Burleson, Michael Bot, Joenoes Polnaija

Man is but a strange creature. If you still have doubts, it would be a good idea to watch the Dutch thriller drama ‘Instinct’. In this we follow two individuals who are really very strange even by human standards. When two such types run into each other, misunderstanding, confrontation and misery are imminent.

In ‘Instinct’ we meet psychologist Nicoline, a young woman who is about to start working in a TBS clinic. There she meets the charming rapist Idris van Leeuwen. Where Idris is clearly a pathological case, the madness of therapist Nicoline is more hidden. She has a disturbingly intimate relationship with her mother, can barely make intimate contact with others and sometimes sees things that aren’t there. Precisely this unstable woman falls head over heels for psychopath Idris.

‘Instinct’, the directorial debut of actress Halina Reijn, is full of sensible choices. The daily course of events in a TBS clinic is portrayed soberly and credibly. The film avoids the pitfall of putting humor into perspective and remains dark and gloomy until the end. What the film also does well is the choice of two characters that don’t live up to the usual cinematic (but unrealistic) portrayal of the severely deranged. You never really get through to Idris and Nicoline, and that’s exactly what sets these people apart from (relatively) normal characters. At the same time, the film also shows once again how difficult it is to recognize psychological disorders under a layer of everydayness.

The thriller part of the film is less successful. For a good thriller you have to have some empathy for the protagonist or you have to hate his opponent. That doesn’t work in this case. The thriller part also follows the beaten track much more than the drama, from the first intense confrontation to the far too long finale. Moreover, drama and thriller are not really integrated, but follow drama scene after thriller scene. That doesn’t really work.

With its fine music, excellent acting and fascinating subject, ‘Instinct’ is certainly not a punishment to watch. You get a realistic look at a world that we don’t really know well and learn once again the oldest lesson of this existence: that man is just a strange creature after all. Of course, that doesn’t apply to this reviewer.