_T_wo Dutch films were screened at the San Fransisco International Film Festival in April: The Beast in the Jungle (dir. Clara van Gool) and Kabul, City in the Wind (dir. Aboozar Amini). Watch the trailers and read reviews in the press below.
The Beast in the Jungle (2019)
Directed by Clara van Gool. Written by Henry James (novel) and Glenn Maxwell. Starring Dan Hurst and Sarah Reynolds.
Weatherend House, 1903: John and May circle each other. She says they met, some 11 years ago. His voice-over describes his sense of being predestined for something, a premonition about ‘the beast in the jungle’ striking. What is it though? Love? Death?
Director Clara van Gool adapted Henry James’ novel of the same name into a poetic mix of costume drama and dance film. The characters’ movements sometimes develop into a choreography, with brief dances. John and May experience various moments together in different ages: in 1903, during World War II, during the 1960s – they dance the twist – and in the present. A melancholy story about time’s inexorable forward march, whilst waiting for the ‘beast in the jungle’, told through choreography, smart sound design, repeating dialogues and beautiful cinematography.

A scene from Clara Van Gool’s film BEAST IN THE JUNGLE, playing at the 2019 San Francisco International Film Festival, April 10 - 23, 2019. Courtesy of SFFILM.