SXSW shines as the most inclusive epicenter of the festival circuit, where audiences leap to their feet with uncontainable enthusiasm, their throats raw from roaring laughter and ecstatic applause in response to every bold joke and stark scene of violence. On Sunday, a sizzling montage preceded each screening, celebrating the previous day's highlights and featuring filmmakers like Dave Franco and Paul Feig heaping lavish praise upon the Austin audience for their infectious vitality.
Yet, amidst the world premiere of "Holland," starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew Macfadyen, and Gael Garcia Bernal, an unusual tension hung in the air like a dense fog. When Kidman's name was announced during the film's introduction and when she ascended the stage afterward, she still garnered a hearty round of cheers. However, these ovations were muted compared to the norm, attributed to noticeable gaps in the seating arrangement. As the film unfolded with its abstract, nightmarish sequences and grim plot twists, whispers rippled through the crowd discreetly, and some patrons even made their exit. As the credits began to scroll, many more opted to skip the post-screening panel discussion, in stark contrast to the spirited participation witnessed in Q&A sessions on Friday and Saturday.
In "Holland," Kidman's Nancy harbors suspicions that her husband (Macfadyen) is betraying her and enlists her coworker (Bernal) to aid in her investigation. As she unearths perplexing clues, the fragile foundation of her family unit crumbles in surreal, harrowing dreams. When queried about the horror-tinged imagery accompanying Nancy's slumber, director Mimi Cave elaborated, "The dreams emerged from a desire to immerse ourselves deeply into Nancy's psyche, capturing her raw anxiety and primal fear. There's also an underlying current of her wanting to shield her family and her son. My stories often spring to life through vivid visuals, often emanating from the farthest fringes of imagination before being honed for the screen."
Everyone in "Holland" harbors secrets, but Macfadyen's character, Fred, remains the most enigmatic of all. Speaking on his approach to the film's plot twists, he said, "When filming, you navigate each moment as it presents itself. Most of Fred's demeanor is conventional, quite endearing, until it takes a sudden, dark turn. Initially, you're merely portraying a devoted family man. The deeper you dive into that role, the more compelling and revelatory the eventual truth becomes."
Named after Holland, Michigan, a city deeply influenced by Dutch heritage where the narrative unfolds, Nancy embodies the quintessential image of an old-school American housewife before chaos descends upon her life. Commenting on the setting, Kidman remarked, "It was an extraordinary canvas for Mimi to bring her vision to life. She wanted to craft an alternate reality, and the backdrop of windmills, wooden clogs, and the entire Dutch-inspired milieu provided a cinematic foundation. We were able to forge characters within this heightened reality, taking you on a wild, unpredictable journey through a twisted landscape."
Bernal, however, did not embody a Dutch Midwesterner. As a Mexican-American portraying Dave, he felt like an outsider in Holland, adding an undercurrent of tension to his relationship with Nancy, who is well-regarded in the town. "It was a fantastic opportunity to portray a Chicano, a strand of Mexican culture that has evolved within the United States tradition over many years," Bernal shared. "To venture into that specific part of the United States, where the Chicano identity differs vastly from Los Angeles or here in Texas, was truly enriching. I loved diving into my own cultural backdrop and then engaging in dynamic scenes with Kidman and Macfadyen, having an absolute blast in the process."
