The Dutchman

Name: The Dutchman
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Released: January 2, 2026
Duration: 88 min
Rating: 67

2026

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Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

Inaugural Entertainment | Release Date: January 2, 2026 | R

Summary: Clay (André Holland), a successful but troubled black businessman, attends therapy sessions with his wife, Kaya (Zazie Beetz), 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 LulaClay (André Holland), a successful but troubled black businessman, attends therapy sessions with his wife, Kaya (Zazie Beetz), 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 (Kate Mara), 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. [SXSW]… Expand

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 88 min

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Critic Reviews

Alan Ng

Mar 5, 2026

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. Moral tales point out how flawed we are, and suggest a better way forward. And for Clay, that journey is far from over. Enjoy. Read full review

IndieWire Ryan Lattanzio

Mar 17, 2025

Still, as with any great theater, the performances here are superb, with Holland telegraphing Clay’s years of insecurity into the confines of a one-night-only movie that opens a window onto a Black identity crisis, only to shut it down on us as we peer over the sill. Read full review

The Travers Take Peter Travers

Jan 9, 2026

In a fresh film take on Amiri Baraka’s 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. Read full review

Lisa Kennedy

Jan 1, 2026

As with the play (and its 1967 film adaptation), the sexual politics here are messy. What isn’t is the filmmakers’ bold dive into the archives of the nascent Black Arts Movement for a throughline. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Jourdain Searles

Jan 2, 2026

By expanding the play’s world, Gaines opens himself up to new scrutiny. Beetz does the best she can with a thinly drawn character, but it’s hard not to wonder what The Dutchman would look like if Gaines showed any real interest in her. Read full review

Murtada Elfadl

Jan 3, 2026

The Dutchman exists in a tense space between reverence and reinvention. It is an adaptation so aware of the power and legacy of Baraka’s text that it never fully trusts its own instincts. The result is a film that provokes thought more than feeling, one that invites discussion, while denying audiences the emotional dimension that might have driven home its relevance. Read full review

William Bibbiani

Jan 2, 2026

It’s easy to appreciate the ambition of Gaines’ new take on Dutchman, but the original tale is fighting back, and it’s got the upper hand. Read full review

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