Beau lives a comfortable but lonely life. For years her cleaner, meneer Ming, has moved quietly through her home without the two of them ever really meeting. Then one unexpected moment brings them into genuine contact for the first time, and Beau tries to close the distance. What follows is an awkward, sometimes tender and sometimes painful search for connection.

While reading the script, I was genuinely moved by what lays ahead for Ming in terms of tenderness and intimacy. I don't think I've seen a relationship in this setting in Dutch film before. My only regret is that it's a short. I would happily have spent longer exploring relationships like Ming and Chen, or Beau and her estranged son.

Part of my work here was helping the room see that. Janna directs with real clarity and knows exactly what she wants, and even so, intimacy coordination opened up a whole new avenue for her. Once we started zooming right into the anatomy of a kiss, she could see how many possibilities there are, and what a difference it makes, when you shape the moment before and after a kiss with purpose.

Beau en meneer Ming is a good reminder of something I tell producers: intimacy is not only kisses and sex. A hand on a shoulder, a held gaze, even a Heimlich can carry just as much charge, and all of it deserves the same attention. It was a joy to watch Jana, who directs with real clarity and knows exactly what she wants.