Does Nicole Kidman ever miss? The Australian actor has been prolific in recent years, and her commitment to working with female directors is an admirable quality (over the last eight years, she has collaborated with at least 19 female filmmakers). Even when the film fails her, she never misses a beat- rising above the material she is given. Predictably, that is the case with her latest offering, Holland, which is director Mimi Cave's follow-up to the thrilling Fresh. 

The premise

Holland presents an intriguing scenario as a film that is overly conscious of its origins yet struggles to find direction when the narrative begins to unravel. The story opens with promise, featuring Nicole as Nancy Vandergroot, a teacher in Holland, Michigan. She is married to Fred Vandergroot (Matthew Macfadyen), an optometrist, and they have a son named Harry (Jude Hill). Nancy becomes suspicious that the babysitter (Rachel Sennott, who is regrettably given minimal screen time) has taken an earring, leading her to terminate the babysitter's employment. This incident ignites a wave of suspicion within her, which intensifies as she starts to doubt her husband, who frequently embarks on unexpected business trips. Is it typical for an optometrist to attend so many conferences?

Nancy collaborates with her colleague Dave Delgado (Gael García Bernal) to delve deeper into her suspicions, initiating an intrusive investigation that ultimately yields frustratingly empty outcomes. As anticipated, the journey brings Dave and Nancy closer together, further complicating her situation. However, Andrew Sodroski's script tends to focus excessively on a series of follow-ups, often neglecting reason and logic at various junctures.

Dave encounters racism primarily when it conveniently intersects with Nancy's dramatic moments. Fred's extensive train set in the basement remains isolated, failing to contribute any meaningful context to Nancy's desperate search. The setting, rich in its symbolism, appears to be an afterthought; the household could easily be situated in Agra without any secrets feeling out of place.

Final thoughts

The misguided investigation consumes the majority of the runtime, preventing the development of character dynamics and the build-up of tension. Macfadyen and Bernal are underutilized in their roles, leaving Kidman with the responsibility of salvaging this endeavor. She could easily navigate her character, as it aligns closely with her previous work in The Stepford Wives. Kidman manages to bring a tragicomic curiosity to Nancy, a quality that the film sorely lacks.

Mimi Cave's follow-up to Fresh is frustratingly clumsy and ensnared in its own convoluted reasoning, offering little for the audience to engage with. By the time the second half arrives, viewers may have already anticipated the potential directions and implications, yet the script ultimately leads to nowhere. Holland seems to require a touch of the Coen Brothers' dark humor and the unsettling atmosphere characteristic of M. Night Shyamalan to inject some momentum. There appears to be a compelling film buried within the disarray, but Holland struggles to uncover it.

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