Instinct
Instinct
Nicoline, a criminal psychologist, begins work at a prison where one of her new cases, Idris — an apparently reformed sex offender — is preparing for release after five years of confinement. Despite her professional misgivings, she becomes infatuated with her charismatic, manipulative patient.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 6, 2025
Carice Van Houten is really exceptional as Nicoline, a criminal psychologist at a prison that becomes in some ways infatuated with a sex offender, Idris, played by Marwan Kenzari. Idris appears to be a model inmate and is being considered for potential unsupervised leave. Upon arrival though, Nicoline has an immediate inclination that Idris’ model behavior is merely a manipulative act to curry favor among the prison staff. But as Nicoline’s infatuation deepens we’re left to question whether her instincts can really be trusted. Directed by Halina Reijn, this is quite different in tone from Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, I was captivated and on the edge of my seat for most of this runtime. Instinct is a very different exploration and discussion on the nature of rape and consent. Though, I didn’t love the ending, with perhaps the exception of the ultimate resolution, this is an impressive debut film for Reijn and a stunning turn for Van Houten, if you can handle some potentially triggering r*pe sequences.