Instinct, TIFF 2019
INSTINCT CWC D: Halina Reijn. Netherlands. 98 min. Sep 7, 9:15 pm, TIFF 2; Sep 9, 10 pm, Scotiabank 11; Sep 13, 9:30 pm, Scotiabank 8. Rating: NNN
A stripped-down drama about a prison psychologist (Carice Van Houten) who becomes convinced that her latest charge (Marwan Kenzari), a violent sexual offender who’s about to be given his first unsupervised leave, is only faking his rehabilitation, Instinct is a compelling duet for its leads and an encouraging debut for director/co-writer Reijn, if a little thin as a narrative.
Stepping behind the camera after decades in front of it – she appeared with Van Houten in Black Book and Valkyrie, and with Kenzari in Pak Van Mijn Hart – Reijn has made a movie that’s very much about performance: as her characters maneuver around one another in a series of loaded conversations, the camera relishes Van Houten’s every frown and Kenzari’s every ambiguous smile.
What’s slightly less effective is the lack of ambiguity in the script; there’s really no question where Instinct is ultimately going, which undercuts its impact as a thriller.