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.

From the beginning of this film the technique and quietness with bold visuals really had a feel that was Von Trier esque. From the awkward car scene in the beginning I was really enthused about where this film seemed to be taking me. When I heard this flick was "Disturbing" I immediately took time to see it. Starring Victoria Carmen Sonne a multilingual mid twenties actress who seemed as though she was born for this role. The camera angles and music for the film is also marvelous so what's my problem about this film "LAZINESS" the film had potential to really dig deep into the disturbing area it grew amazing long legs and just refused to stand up. Yes theres an Unsimulated sex scene that I'm pretty sure her whole family will never get over after watching and I'm pretty sure the R-rating doesn't cover this extreme scene that even shows fluids but besides that and another lack luster 1 minute scene this film was as tame as they cum... No pun intended. The movie also speaks atleast 3 different languages and the subtitles were in Dutch and there accents were so thick it was very difficult to keep up with there broken english. There wasn't really mystery involved but when you show a scene and there isn't any follow up to why things happened it's just creating a scene for the sake of a scene, No backstory No revelations that come later what the heck was that about is what it leaves you thinking. I think if you put this much effort into creating a nerving storyline to make people uneasy those like myself who are disturbing movie fans feel like you destroyed a character who could of become memorable andwaste. wasted a perfect opportunity. Oh well the form on that shot looked perfect but your shot was an airball. Such a waste.

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.

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.

//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.