Holland, Michigan, serves as the backdrop for a bewildering thriller starring Nicole Kidman. The film, directed by Mimi Cave, captures a picturesque yet surreal Dutch-themed community that feels unreal, reminiscent of a theme park. Kidman's character, Nancy Vandergroot, perceives her idyllic surroundings as dreamlike. However, despite hints of deeper revelations like simulated realities, the narrative ultimately unfolds as a conventional tale of darkness beneath suburban life. The film's lack of tonal clarity and direction results in a disjointed viewing experience, leaving actors and audience alike floundering for coherence.
The unreality makes a high-concept reveal feel inevitable, whether it's a Don't Worry Darling scenario where the characters are living in a simulated reality or some kind of Stepford Wives situation where half the residents are either robots or have been brainwashed into docile perfection.
While there is a twist in Holland, it's of the standard darkness-lurking-beneath-suburbia variety that makes the film's stylistic choices all the more bonkers.
Cave has no aptitude for tone. This was evident, but a more minor issue, in her 2022 cannibal-thriller debut, which never found its satirical edge.
I look around myself, and it feels like a dream.
Collection
[
|
...
]