Holland Just Dropped on Prime Video and Got 21% on RT – But Is It Really That Bad?

The script for Holland was written in 2013 and had been waiting for the right moment for ten years. Finally, Nicole Kidman took the producer's chair and starred, and Mimi Cave, who debuted in 2022 with the impressive horror Fresh starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan, took over as director.

It seemed obvious that with experience under her belt, Cave would make something even more provocative and expressive. But if Fresh successfully struck a chord with the zeitgeist, Holland unexpectedly turned out to be a beautiful empty shell.

What Is Holland About?

Teacher Nancy wakes up every day in tulip-filled Holland, Michigan, where she lives in a cozy home with her caring husband and loving son.

Nancy discovers that one of her earrings is missing and accuses the nanny of stealing it. The lack of evidence feeds the woman's paranoia, and soon she adds the thought of infidelity to her suspicions of theft.

Nancy's intuition tells her that Fred regularly visits his mistress and takes erotic photos. To confirm her hypothesis, the teacher turns to her colleague Dave, who is in love with her, and takes over the investigation.

Holland Asks a Lot of Questions, but Doesn't Rush to Give Any Answers

If Holland had explored the main character's contradictory inner world, it would have been a good thriller about loneliness, loss of self, and doors better left unopened.

But the authors decided to go further and immediately added a dozen subplots that could not lead to a logical conclusion. Fred's secret is officially revealed about two-thirds of the way through, but one can assume such a development of the plot already after half an hour.

And the past of the main characters, initially presented as almost the main mystery, remains shrouded in darkness.

Holland Doesn't Know What Is Wants to Be

The writers seem afraid to follow in the footsteps of Ari Aster with his Beau Is Afraid and take absurdity to the limit, which is why Holland ends up in limbo. The movie does not frighten, does not make you laugh and does not keep you in suspense, it just marks time without having decided whether it wants to be a thriller or a satire.

Cave clearly tried to give the initially unfinished screenplay some complexity, but the dramaturgy is so lacking in integrity that no directorial decision could prevent this train from derailing.

The ending, which could have partially saved the story, unfortunately only confirms the meaninglessness of what has been seen, leaving the viewer perplexed and with a bunch of questions that no one wanted to answer.