HOLLAND

Holland calls back to the adult oriented thrillers of yesteryears and while the performances of Nicole Kidman, Gael García Bernal and Matthew Macfadyen are committed and never falter for a second, the story ultimately fails the talent on screen and the audience as it only gets interesting when it’s too late to rescue the entire film from being the lacklustre watch it is.

Director Mimi Cave shocked audiences with her feature film debut back in 2022, turning what seemed to be a cute romantic comedy into the stuff of nightmares in Fresh. Twisted, shocking and down right disturbing, Fresh was a hit across the board from Cave’s fearless direction, the unforgettable mixture of horror and comedy, and the performances she evoked from Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan (and their dancing!), which only set the bar for her next feature effort. Teaming up with Nicole Kidman, who is continuing to partner with female directors, and a supporting cast that features Gael García Bernal, Matthew Macfadyen, Jude Hill and Rachel Sennott, it seemed like Cave was set to make a strong second film. And while Holland throws back to the domestic thrillers of the 1990s both in tone and storytelling with a premise that works well in the genre, the story sadly misses that wild element to truly invest the audience in it until it enters its third act, ultimately squandering the compelling work of Kidman, Bernal and Macfadyen.

In an age of studio blockbusters featuring superheroes, franchises, remakes and films targeting viewers of a wide variety of ages, there has been sadly a downtick in the number of adult skewing thrillers that used to dominate the silver screen. While there are still great entries in this subgenre, such as this month’s spy whodunit Black Bag and 2023’s exotic thriller Fair Play, they are sadly few and far between as there is a notion that audiences won’t show up to watch such films. But, Cave revisits the adult thriller in Holland, featuring a screenplay and story from Andrew Sodroski, and it has all the right elements to create a riveting thriller: a husband hiding a dark secret from his wife, the wife’s vivid dreams acting as a warning to her of the darkness that unknowingly surrounds her, and the newfound love for her co-worker who is willing to help her find out what her husband is hiding. It’s all set in the town of Holland, Michigan, with a creepy Dutch influence that when combined with the desaturated colour grading of the film that hints at the darkness Nancy is about to discover, lays the groundwork for the story to leave viewers on the edge of their seat.

Though, as much as the story is set up for success, it fails to capitalize on the groundwork laid out before it and meanders along for too long, which is sadly going to lose viewers’ attention. The first two acts of the film aimlessly introduce viewers to the Vandergroot family and the unease between Nancy and Fred, as Nancy suspects that her husband is having an affair. With the help of her friend Dave, who Nancy has a fancy for, the two begin to follow Fred and try to catch him in the act. But, the stakes are missing. You don’t feel that Nancy and Dave are meant to be together, nor does the screenplay generate a heart pounding tension or urgency as they follow Fred and try to prove he is having an affair. At the same time, the creepy Dutch influences of the film’s setting seem to have no effect on the story other than create a strange setting for the story to unfold in, while Hill is given very little to do as Harry and really on serves as a reason for Nancy to remain with her husband rather than a fully formed character of his own.  Never mind Sennott’s character who could be removed from the film all together and it would bear absolutely no effect on the story whatsoever, truly wasting her talent and begging the question of why a prominent actress was cast in her very minor role.

Luckily, as the film enters its third act, it unleashes the shocking reveal that viewers have been waiting for and changes the game. It’s an unexpected revelation that acts as a jolt of energy to the entire film, not only setting into motion the events that build towards the film’s tense climax, but infuses the remainder of the film with a paranoia for both its characters and the audience. Not only does it change the stakes for the characters, who find themselves dealing with something they never could have imagined in their wildest dreams, but it provides the twist that captures what has made domestic thrillers so exciting in the past. The only downside is, that since this major event does not happen until the final thirty minutes of the film, it is a little too late to fully salvage the film even if it is enough to ensure that the story concludes on a strong note.

While the story waivers at times as it takes its time to reveal what is actually happening in the film, the performances of its leading trio will compensate for this and keep audiences waiting to discover what dark truth is hiding beneath the surface of Holland. As always, Kidman is nothing short of phenomenal in the leading role of Nancy, capturing the camp inherent in Sodroski’s script and the fear in Nancy as to what her husband is hiding from her. Even with a weaker script, Kidman can stun and she does that in every frame of this film. Bernal is an excellent screen partner for Kidman, matching her campy with his lovable take on Dave as he fumbles through the situation he finds himself in due to his undying love for Kidman’s Nancy. And that is before calculating the undeniable sexual heat Bernal is bringing to the film, making it clear as to why not only Nancy is attracted to Dave, but why the audience is going to be as well. Macfadyen continues his quirky comedic energy that he brought to Succession, while surrounding Fred in an air of mystery. You never for a second question his love for his family or his image of the all around American father, but there is that twinkle in Macfadyen’s eyes that teases something deeply unsettling lying just beneath the surface of his façade. Hill, despite a spectacular performance in Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast and holding his ground in an ensemble cast in A Haunting in Venice, is given very little to do as Harry, causing his talents as a young actor to be wasted throughout out the film. And Sennott, while she will generate some laughs in the opening scene, it’s all she is given and begs the question of why her participation was even necessary.

Despite a twisty narrative that creates an uncomfortable viewing, Holland never truly rises to the occasion and remains an enjoyable enough yet ultimately frustrating thriller. While the throwback to the domestic thriller that was a staple in Hollywood in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, a sluggish narrative holds the film back from being a truly enticing watch despite the brilliantly crafted performances of Nicole Kidman, Gael García Bernal and Matthew Macfadyen who never for a second lose sight of the film’s campy tone. Though the story does have potential and once it enters its third act, it becomes a delightfully wacky and thrilling sprint to the film’s conclusion, is too little too late to full compensate for Holland’s sluggish first two acts despite the terrific and committed campy performances of Nicole Kidman, Gael García Bernal and Matthew Macfadyen that alone make the film worth checking out.