A wide selection of great, highly anticipated films premiered at SXSW this weekend, but few got as much attention of Holland, directed by Mimi Cave. The film serves as the follow-up to Cave's 2022 film, Fresh. Now, the filmmaker is back with her signature macabre style, and this time she's brought along Nicole Kidman, Gael García Bernal, and Matthew Macfadyen.
Holland is a new mystery thriller film, taking place not in the Netherlands, but the Dutch-American town of Holland, Michigan. The script peppers in various small Dutch details like traditional clothing, food, and of course, tulips. Lead actress and producer, Nicole Kidman plays Nancy Vandergroot, a distrusting suburban teacher who is convinced that her husband, Fred (Macfadyen) has been hiding a dark secret. In the process of secretly investigating her husband for a possible affair, she grows a close relationship with her coworker, Dave (Bernal) and the two plan to catch Fred in the act so they can justify running away together. Needless to say, chaos ensues in the small, quiet town of Holland, Michigan as Nancy discovers she's in for much more than she bargained for.
The film is highly stylized and immersive in terms of production design, allowing audiences to truly enter the world of Holland, Michigan. The domestic housewife aesthetic mixed with intense, trippy visuals are reminiscent of Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling, but done significantly better. At no point does the film make audiences feel confused or out of the loop, we are placed directly in Nancy's shoes as she uncovers her husband's secret life and consequentially, we become just as shocked as she is. The cinematography by Pawel Pogorzelski is one of the strongest and most notable aspects of the movie. His signature style that he's exhibited so much in his Ari Aster collaborations worked perfectly with Cave's vision.
Holland is Mimi Cave's most ambitious and unpredictable project of her career so far. Principal photography took place nearly two years ago and audiences have been waiting with baited breath to see Kidman and Cave's work on a big screen.
Producing and starring in Holland is yet another example of Nicole Kidman's dedication to working with female directors. In 2017, Kidman made a pledge to collaborate with a female director every eighteen months to help fellow women and address the gender imbalance in the film industry. After nearly eight years, she has kept true to her word and has worked with a plethora of amazing female directors, most recently Halina Reijn for the erotic thriller, Babygirl. Since 2017 she has collaborated with 19 female directors in either acting and/or producing.
Holland is a film that really benefits from a feminine gaze, we get to see Nancy's authentic perspective, her character feels fleshed-out and believable, this is all due to Cave and Kidman's careful work. Over the course of the runtime we get to see Nancy evolve from a nervous, soft-spoken woman to a fierce protector, determined to do what's right. It appears that we're in the process of seeing Mimi Cave become one of the most exciting auteur filmmakers currently working.
Not only is Holland a well-made, thrilling piece of art, it also serves as a prime example of what can happen when female filmmakers are given the resources to fulfill their vision. Hopefully this trend of women in charge continues in the industry for years and years to come.
Holland is set to premiere on March 27th on Amazon Prime video!
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