At this year’s SXSW film festival, I didn’t get to attend a lot of headliners. However, I managed to get into one with a fantastic cast and promises to deliver an intriguing mystery story, while also promising to give its audiences a remarkable film filled with palpable tension and suspense. Sadly, this new film by director Mimi Cave and writer Andrew Sodroski falls primarily flat for me. Despite its star power, with its casting of Nicole Kidman, Matthew Macfayden, and Gael Garcia Bernal, this film does a serious disservice to its actors, by failing to give the audience what it promises.
The movie starts with a fascinating glimpse into the community of Holland, a small town in America inspired by its Dutch roots, which play a major role in its identity and sense of togetherness. Nancy Vandergroot (Kidman) is a loving and dutiful wife to her husband, Fred Vandergroot (Macfayden), and son Harry (Jude Hill). Still, she also serves as the local high school home economics teacher. When a few moments arouse suspicions about her husband’s activities, Nancy confides with her colleague, Dave Delgado (Bernal), a shop teacher, who obviously has feelings for her. As the two investigate further into Fred’s extra-curricular activities, they come to realize that there may be more to Fred than meets the eye.
While I find this movie primarily entertaining, it disappointed me regarding the suspense. Director Mimi Cave and writer Andrew Sodroski fail to solidify the mystery. The humor in this mostly absurd affair kept me entertained, but I often found myself bored with some other moments in the story. Everyone in the cast feels invested and delivers solid performances, with Nicole Kidman and Matthew Macfayden being the standouts of this movie.
Though I did laugh often, Holland has a lot of great ideas, but doesn’t present them in too many exciting ways. Holland is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime, and it is just as well. It did not make a difference that I watched this film in a theater with an enthusiastic festival audience.