One seemingly trivial action can beget dramatic consequences. That is the 10,000-foot-view lesson one might assume Do Not Hesitate aims to convey. But zoom in on the hilly and barren Middle East desert where a Dutch military truck has suddenly become disabled, and you’ll find nuance to this story that is more precarious than one might expect.

Written by Jolein Laarman and directed by Shariff Korver, Do Not Hesitate takes a slow-brewing approach to drama and tension. Utilizing a minimal cast and desolate, aird setting for most of its runtime, the film teeters on an unstable notion of morality, begging the question: how much risk should one assume when wanting to do the right thing? There’s no easy answer, but Krover uses the premise of Do Not Hesitate to take audiences as far down this rabbit hole as reasonably possible. The decisions made along the way by the main character are made with good intentions, but the experience - and ultimately, the end result - is unnerving.

In Do Not Hesitate, a split second reaction from one of the Dutch soldiers among the stranded convoy opens fire at something rustling in nearby bushes. This moment triggers an onset of frustrations for the team as a boy emerges from the desert claiming ownership of the goat and demanding compensation. In fact, if the boy is not screaming about how much he hates these soldiers, he is often brazenly making demands. When the requested maintenance team fails to arrive, the soldiers are forced to split up, leaving three of them - Erik (Joes Brauers), Roy (Spencer Bogaert), and Thomas (Tobias Kersloot) - to guard the disabled vehicle while the rest leave to find help. But the unwanted presence of this boy makes being stranded in a hostile environment complicated.

Tobias Kersloot playing Thomas, Spencer Bogaert playing Roy, and Joes Brauers playing Erik.

Erik is the main character here. Young, fit, and passionate about his drumming hobby, he’s thrusted into this leadership role upon the splitting of the team. His reserved personality and miscalculated sense of compassion in competition with the readily aggressive nature and hyper masculine energy of his comrades generates a fascinating level of uncertainty for what’s going to happen next. An exceptional performance from Brauers only enhances that quality of the film.

But Do Not Hesitate is a movie that not only derives its intensity from what’s being shown, but how it’s being shown. The soundtrack is eerily minimal, mostly reduced to ambient tones and the incessant sizzles of desert wildlife. And if that doesn’t make the experience ominous enough, the narrow aspect ratio imposes a sense of claustrophobia on this open and exposed environment. The presentation works well in conjunction with the story to make the unsettling nature of the film creep in slowly and arrest your attention.

By the end, the full effect of what transpires in the desert can weigh on your mind. What would you have done in Erik’s situation? As mentioned, there’s no easy answer, especially for Erik as he tries to balance being a leader, a comrade, and a good person. As a result, Do Not Hesitate is a taut, simmering drama that excels at illustrating how heavy the weight of responsibility in this unpredictable environment can be. If you’re looking to watch a small scale drama with a suspenseful edge to it, might I suggest not hesitating to watch this one.

CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Shariff Korver

Shariff Korver grew up in both Venezuela and the Netherlands. His filmography includes titles such as Temple, Fenix, and The Intruder.

COMPOSER

Ella van der Woude, Juho Nurmela

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Judy Tossell

CO-PRODUCER

Konstantinos Kontovrakis, Giorgos Karnavas, Marina Blok

CAST

Joes Brauers, Tobias Kersloot, Spencer Bogaert, Omar Alwan

DIRECTOR

Shariff Korver

PRODUCER

Leontine Petit, Erik Glijnis, Emily Morgan

SCREENWRITER

Jolein Laarman

CINEMATOGRAPHER

Nadim Carlsen

EDITOR

Ruben van der Hammen

TRIBECA 2021 | Simmering Tension Makes "Do Not Hesitate" Worth A Watch

CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Shariff Korver