Holiday

You could describe the "Holiday" of the title as the holiday from hell as gangster's girl, Sascha, (Victoria Carmine Sonne), finds herself in perpetual fear of violence, (sexual and otherwise), from her brutal drug-dealing boyfriend in the gorgeous surroundings of the Turkish Riviera. Since the film was directed by a woman, (newcomer Isabella Eklof), I suppose you could argue it's some sort of feminist take on sexual violence; if made by a man it would be exploitative but being made by a woman it's 'honest'.

Of course, that doesn't make it any less unpleasant and since it's singularly lacking in any real 'plot', it can't really be described as a thriller. On the other hand, Sonne is excellent as the beautiful and unfortunate Sascha and Lai Yde exudes just the right degree of menace as the drugs baron. What story there is basically revolves around Sascha's growing attachment to a guy she meets and whose presence only adds to her problems. What's lacking is any real tension; the people on screen aren't just dislikeable but dull and in the end, all the film has going for it is the scenery.

Holiday, Bodil Award winner for Best Film of 2018, is an interesting work. Set in an idyllic paradise, we see feel-good scenes like topless sunbathing, waterpark excursions, ice cream and dancing (it's a holiday!) but we can never shake the vibe of disturbing undertones. The plot follows Sasha, a drug dealer's girlfriend, and gives us an understated window into the world view of a battered woman. That violence manifests itself in a shocking and unexpected way in the conclusion.

Stylistically, this film is a triumph: Cheerful imagery with that sense of dread hanging over everything. The performances aren't at their best in English, but Holiday is worth some contemplation. I've seen viewers profess shock at its sexuality, but above all Holiday is a statement on violence.

"Sunny but frigid" describes the feel that runs throughout this bleak character study of a young girl mixed up with unsavoury types. Overall I found it engrossing with plenty of subtle and creeping tension, quite disturbing at times but also a little redundant and oversimplified in its storytelling. Most of the characters are one dimensional almost to the point of being caricatures of gangsta tropes (the alpha male, the henchman and the women and children in the periphery). I sometimes found it hard to tell whether the shallow dialogue was down to lazy writing or whether it was intentionally lacking in depth, which I suppose did add to the cripplingly superficial tone of the film. Are they gangsters? Or just wealthy businessmen? Is there a difference? All very deep stuff. The bad side of patriarchy in general amongst wealthy Europeans, the ones that keep their family around like tokens of their power, holidaying lavishly in large groups and disturbing their surroundings.

I get what Holiday is trying to do but it took far too long to get there. The world we occupy is not the same for all people. Indeed, people are compartmentalized and some simply belong together for better or worse.

In this case a sadistic Danish gangster and his seemingly innocent, young, gold digging, lover are not so far removed from one another as first impressions may suggest. Neither is normal. They share a violent, at times sadistically abusive, dysfunctional relationship that feeds off itself and binds them together. Much as they might resemble normal people they can't make the adjustment to the world outside of their twisted dynamic. When one of them tries, it ends badly and bloodily.

Its an interesting concept but its overly long lead in, where the ground is always shifting between perceived normalcy and sudden, abrupt brutality, is overdone. When this film does finally get where it inevitably has to go, its dissipated a lot of its energy, leaving the ending feeling a little anti-climatic.

In short, there's a lot to like here its a well crafted, unsettling experience but its approach needed to be reworked. In a sense it over explains itself and could have had more impact had it been shorter and more succinct. 6/10 from me.

//Revelation Film Festival Review//

If the six people that walked out during the screening are any indication, Holiday is going to provoke some polarising opinions. It's a tough watch, a film designed to get under your skin and features one of the most graphic rape sequences ever committed to screen. However, what's most shocking about the film is the realism in which everything is portrayed.

The story, in short, is about the terrible things men do to women and that women allow men to do to them. While the plot meanders and never provides any definitive answers, the frustration it elicits is part of the film's effect. It's not for the faint hearted and in the "me too" era, Holiday is definitely going to provoke some fierce conversation. I didn't like the film but it got the exact reaction that it wanted out of me and it's been crawling under my skin for days.

Summary: A tough watch designed to provoke audiences; Holiday has been crawling under my skin for days.