The Beast in the Jungle

Henry James wrote the novella The Beast in the Jungle in 1903, and the grand story about love, death and fate is seen as one of his foremost works. Clara van Gool places dance to the center of her interpretation of the mysterious love story about May and John. He is convinced that his fate is a catastrophe waiting to happen, like a “beast in the jungle.” The dancers Dane Hurst and Sarah Reynolds sway through the story, which begins in the nineteenth century and stops at the present. The film is a poetic and sensuous experience, where the extension in time enables a visual gluttony in coetaneous scenes, clothes and dancing styles. (Göteborg Film Festival)