Mimi Cave’s Holland has all the right ingredients for something special—a stellar cast led by Nicole Kidman, stunning cinematography, and beautifully detailed set design—but it never quite figures out what kind of movie it wants to be. Kidman delivers a compelling performance, and both Matthew Macfadyen and Gael García Bernal bring a lot to their roles, but even great acting can’t fully ground a film that feels this tonally erratic.
The movie juggles suspense, surrealism, and comedy, but none of them ever fully land. That said, I was engaged throughout, especially in awe of Kidman, who never phones it in, no matter the material. At the end of the day, though, Holland wasn’t as entertaining or as fun as it seemed to promise. I really wanted to love it—I even found myself trying to overlook some of its flaws. But in hindsight, this feels like one of those indie films I enjoyed in the moment but will likely forget in the coming months, whereas other recent indies, like the Kidman-led Babygirl, and Mimi Cave’s Fresh—an incredible and criminally under-seen thriller, thanks to Hulu’s tendency to bury great films on their awful platform —will stick with me for years to come.
That said, I’m still eager to see what Mimi Cave does next. This isn’t a complete misfire—there are moments of stunning imagery, and she clearly knows how to work with actors, bringing out performances that feel raw and daring. She also has a strong grasp of genre—some of the dream sequences are genuinely unsettling, and there are solid laughs sprinkled throughout. But in the end, Holland is a bit of a mess—one with flashes of beauty, but a mess nonetheless. Still, it’s one worth experiencing for yourself.
Holland is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
