Director Mimi Cave made a big splash on the scene with her feature debut, Fresh, and her second feature, Holland, is another stylish genre picture. Like her previous film, Holland proves that Cave is an exciting director who doesn’t always get the best scripts. However, Holland has enough strong elements that it manages to overcome some of the more underwhelming aspects of its narrative.
Holland Review
Holland follows a woman (Nicole Kidman) living a seemingly idyllic life in small-town Michigan as she begins to suspect that her husband (Matthew Macfadyen) harbors a secret, causing her to investigate the truth with the help of a friend (Gael Garcia Bernal). Although the story will certainly unravel with even the slightest bit of scrutiny, it’s a lot of fun to watch play out, and that makes it a lot better than most thrillers that come out these days.
Writer Andrew Sodroski introduces some intriguing themes to his script, such as domesticity and patriarchy, but they aren’t fully explored. Given Holland’s setting in a fundamentalist religious community, it would have been nice to see the film dive into the ideas of religion and the role of women within the structures of religious organizations.
Admittedly, it does take a while for Holland to get moving. For the first half of the movie, it seems like it will be a relatively straightforward erotic thriller, but the second half manages to subvert expectations in a very clever way. Still, it is asking audiences a lot to bear through a meandering (if effectively atmospheric) hour before finally exploding.
The atmosphere of Holland is aided by the visual style imbued to the film by director Mimi Cave, production designer JC Molina, and costume designer Susan Lyall. The talents of the director and artisans combine to create a world that feels weirdly atemporal. It is set in 2000, but it feels like it could be even older, with the exception of some really clever needle drops that set the time period.
The core of Holland, and what makes it successful, is the trio of central performances, all of which are pretty excellent. Although Nicole Kidman has been better in the past, she is having a ton of fun here, and it’s always great to watch her chewing the scenery. She has such an alluring presence that it’s easy to watch her do pretty much anything.
Matthew Macfadyen seems to be having just as much fun as his small town, church-going everyman doctor. Macfadyen gets to play a little weirdo, doing little weirdo things, and as a result, it feels like the bizarro version of his Tom Wambsgans performance in Succession while also channelling his Mr. Darcy charm.
That being said, perhaps the most interesting performance of the bunch is Gael Garcia Bernal’s, who is playing incredibly against type in his role. His character has the most compelling and unique arc of the bunch. He plays a surprisingly emasculated character, countering his typically suave and alluring demeanor and allowing us to see a side of his range that we don’t really get to see from him.
Also strong and surprisingly able to hold his own against the three more experienced (and famous) performers is Belfast breakout Jude Hill, who has some very fun line deliveries. Cinephiles may also be looking forward to seeing indie darling Rachel Sennott’s appearance, but fair warning — she is only in the movie for a single scene.
Is Holland worth watching?
Holland does require viewers’ patience because of its slow-burn pacing, but its effective use of atmosphere, performance, and craft ensure that it is an alluring entry into its genre. It’s a genuinely fun thriller — something that we don’t get often these days anymore — and it’s a shame that a movie like this is going straight to streaming considering how beautiful it looks.
Holland premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, which runs March 7-15 in Austin, TX.
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