Nicole Kidman, who has earned a stellar reputation in Hollywood as the queen of psychological thrillers, is back in yet another chilling film.
She leads “Holland”, the new Amazon Prime Video movie which was released last week.
Kidman is joined by an interesting cast which includes “Succession” star Matthew Macfadyen and Mexican actor Gael García Bernal in his first major role as well as youngster Jude Hill.
Together with others in supporting roles, the trio have done a stellar job in portraying complex characters in this nuanced and riveting story.
The movie opens with a voice-over of teacher and homemaker Nancy Vandergroot (Kidman) explaining that she lives a picture-perfect life in quaint Holland, Michigan.
Together with her optometrist husband Fred Vandergroot (Macfadyen) and their 13-year-old son Harry (Hill), Nancy and her middle-class family live a conservative, traditional and quiet life in the small midwestern town.
She is a respected community leader who spends her time teaching at the local high school, making home-cooked meals for her family and raising her teenage child.
Meanwhile, Fred, who is charming, quirky and successful, appears to be a doting husband and a loving father who spends quality time with his son making a detailed town model.
But Nancy’s quintessential lifestyle comes crumbling down when she begins to grow suspicious about Fred’s frequent out-of-town conferences which she deems unusual for someone in his profession. She also notices that Fred keeps polaroids of pictures, even though they do not own a polaroid camera.
Convinced he is having an affair, she enlists the help of her co-worker, Dave Delgado (Bernal), who also happens to be madly in love with her, to help her break into his office to find evidence of his shenanigans.
Dave, who is shunned by the community and is often the victim of racist attacks, is madly in love with Nancy. Despite having prior problems with the law, he agrees to help her.
Driven by his desire to earn Nancy’s love, Dave even puts his life in danger to follow Frank during one of his out of town escapades.
As romantic sparks begin to fly between them, the pair are horrified when they discover that Fred has been hiding a murderous secret for decades - one that threatens to put Nancy’s entire family’s life in jeopardy.
As she deals with the shock of discovering that he has been a serial killer for decades - and that his town model is a detailed map of where his victims are buried - she begins to question how she could have been blinded by Frank for so many years.
This all takes place while she navigates newfound emotions for Dave, who she had only previously known as a co-worker, and having to navigate leaving her idealistic identity behind in favour of a more authentic life which will not be accepted by her loved ones.
Kidman, who is no stranger to the thriller and mystery genre, does a stellar job on portraying the role of a strong yet subservient woman who left her troubled youth in a small town behind to get married to a man who promised her the perfect life.
The Oscar-winning actress also does a superb job of taking viewers into her character’s world. Her portrayal of a wife who stumbles upon the fact that her husband is a serial killer is so convincing that it sent shivers down my spine.
Kidman leads the cast with the elegant grace which movie enthusiasts have come to expect from her. She also has remarkable on-screen chemistry with both Macfadyen and Bernal. Together, these lead stars deliver a film which will keep you guessing as you are glued to your screen.
In addition, “Holland” also does remarkably well to unpack themes of complicated family dynamics, the struggles of women and the dangers of secrets, which people from across the globe will be able to resonate with.
Other aspects which the film delves into include the pain of unfilled dreams, the terror of discovering things hidden in plain sight and the struggles of conforming to societal expectations.
As a fan of thrillers, I thoroughly enjoyed watching “Holland” and its many unexpected twists and turns had me on the edge of my couch.
I was also impressed by, despite the murderous focus of the film, how it still manages to comprehensively unpacks themes which remain relevant in modern society.
I give “Holland” a 4 out of 5 stars rating.
If you enjoyed Nicole Kidman in “Holland”, here are more psychological thrillers in which she stars in for you to watch:
“The Perfect Couple”’
“Big Little Lies”
“Nine Perfect Strangers”
“The Stepford Wives”
“Secret in Their Eyes”