Holland

I know most people didn't like this movie, I saw the ratings, read the reviews. But something about Holland stuck with me. It's not perfect. The pacing is off, the story doesn't always make sense, and it acts like it has something profound to say... but never quite says it.

And yet, maybe that's the point.

This isn't really a thriller, despite what it says on the tin. It's more like a slow, quiet metaphor for how a lot of us live now, especially women. We share space, time, and even intimacy with people we don't really know. We pretend things are fine because it's easier than asking the scary questions. We sense danger but doubt ourselves. We stay.

Nicole Kidman's performance is subtle. Too subtle, maybe. But there's something in her stillness that made me feel uncomfortable in a good way. Like someone trying very hard not to fall apart in front of anyone else. And maybe that's what the movie is really about.

I don't expect most people to agree with this review. That's okay. Not everything needs to be loud to be true.

Holland, is the definition of a surreal, psychedelic ride through mystery and bizarreness. Which I was expecting something just normal. I didn't watch the trailers or anything for this, so I had no idea what I was in for.

It's definitely not one of Nicole Kidmans best, but she does carry it so well for you to stay invested, along with all the other cast as well. The acting is great. The movie starts out pretty slow, a couple of things drag, you don't know what's going on, at some points you're trying to figure out what genre the movie is and then things just really start to unravel and get better. The cracks start to form. Things begin to escalate and come together. The unusual soundtrack, along with its strange cinematography, makes you feel like you're on this "high on life" and trip on acid.

Basically, the movie is a slow burn. It didn't leave me disappointed nor satisfied. It just will leave you in a state of "Okay...what did I just watch??" It's just one of those movies. Think Midsommar blended in with Scream. That's Holland. Not amazing, not bad, but weirdly interesting!

Do we need to see Nicole Kidman even in her future late 70s in every movie? She's a fantastic actress, but not for every role. After her (unsuccessful) face lifting whatever, in fact face statufying procedure, she just cannot exteriorize every needed facial expressions in any required (active) role. So the script in 'Holland' was not the only faulty stuff here, the lead actor and actress, the husband and wife were with that little silly worm of a kid that needed a baseball bat hit straight to his face.

'Holland' needed someone like Kevin Spacey as the husband and a rebooted Rose Mcgowan as the wife.

Dave Delgado was tragically good as that lame thing and then and only then, the whole movie mumbo screenplay with that tragi-dark-comedy stuff would have worked.

Although, I agree that the ending is not even an ending, it's like a fairy tale princess drowning ending, but whatever and who cares with the things that I've explained earlier.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 5
• Production value/impact: 6.5
• Development: 6.5
• Realism: 4.5
• Entertainment: 4.5
• Acting: 6
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 6.5
• VFX: 7
• Music/score/sound: 6.5
• Depth: 5
• Logic: 2
• Flow: 4.5
• Psychology/mystery/drama/thriller: 5.5
• Ending: 3.

I was drawn to Holland because I liked Mimi Cave's work on Fresh quite a lot, so I figured, why not give this one a shot? Right from the start, though, I felt like I was watching a beautiful facade that slowly began to crumble. The movie sets up this idyllic suburban world that promises dark secrets lurking underneath, but it doesn't really deliver on that promise.

The screenplay is all over the place, disjointed, and full of abrupt plot turns that feel unearned. One minute you're settling into the slow burn of suburban perfection, and the next, bam, a twist that never had time to build up any real suspense. The tonal shifts between dark humor and suspense are jarring, and frankly, neither element is strong enough on its own to carry the movie. It's clear that the characters were meant to mirror the film's theme of artifice and hidden darkness, but aside from Nicole Kidman's Nancy, they're pretty underwritten. Kidman tries her best to hold everything together, and she does give a standout performance, yet her character doesn't have enough depth or substance to fully shine in a script that never really finds its footing.

There are some interesting ideas at play, like the notion of suburban perfection hiding a sinister underside. The use of the tulip imagery and all the Dutch-themed decor is visually stunning and adds to the unsettling beauty of the film. However, all that potential is let down by too many narrative gaps and twists that feel contrived. The theme of artifice, while promising, is never deeply explored, and it remains a surface-level idea. The pacing is another issue. The movie drags in some parts and then rushes through key moments in others, so it never really builds any proper tension.

Overall, its visual style and production design are definitely its strongest points, which capture an unsettling, almost beautiful atmosphere. But unfortunately, that style is bogged down by a poor script and uneven storytelling. Holland is a film with some bright flashes that, sadly, never come together as a cohesive whole.

During the first hour everything was normal, but then the story picked up and I was hooked. Exceptional performance by Matthew Macfadyen especially. Love everything he does. An incredible actor.

Nicole was fantastic. I throughly enjoyed the movie.

Went in with low expectation, came out smiling.

I really enjoyed not knowing where the story was taking me. Very light and comedic tones for most of the film and then it takes a sharp turn with horror elements. Needless to say, I had a fun time with this.

One of those films where by the twist at the end, and thereby the conclusion, I said to myself, "Is that really it?"