After the erotic drama Baby Girl, Nicole Kidman continues her divisive streak with a certified Rotten thriller. Kidman began acting in the 1980s with Australian films like the action-comedy BMX Bandits and the critically acclaimed ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Calm before achieving international stardom. Her Hollywood breakthrough came in 1990 when she starred opposite Tom Cruise in the NASCAR love-story Days of Thunder, spawning a variety of leading performances from Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut to the black comedy To Die For.
In the early 2000s, Nicole Kidman’s performances continued with back-to-back Oscar-nominated roles from Moulin Rouge! to The Hours, the latter scoring the actor her first Best Actress win with her portrayal of Virginia Woolf. In 2017, she delivered her first Emmy-winning performance in HBO’s drama series Big Little Lies. A few years later, she received another Oscar nomination for her performance as Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos. Kidman’s career spans over three decades, with multiple accolades to show for the prowess she commands on screen. Now, it appears the Hollywood icon’s latest film continues to push the envelope.
Nicole Kidman’s Holland Debuts With A 50% RT Score
The Psychological Thriller Divides Early Responses
Kidman’s new thriller, Holland, has amᴀssed a divisive score from critics. Directed by Mimi Cave (Fresh) and written by Andrew Sodorski, the dark comedy features Kidman as the teacher and homemaker Nancy Vandergoot after her seemingly idyllic life in Michigan suburbia is turned upside down when she discovers her husband, a local preacher, is harboring a terrible secret. The ensemble cast of Holland also includes Gael García Bernal (Y tu mamá también), Matthew Macfadyen (Succession), Jude Hill (A Haunting in Venice) and Rachel Sennott (Bottoms).
Based on 10 critical reviews, Holland has made its debut with a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While some reviews have praised Kidman’s latest film for its atmospheric setting and the slow-burning mystery behind Nancy’s rising sense of dread, other critics have argued that its unconventional and ambiguous storytelling fails to deliver a satisfying payoff. Nonetheless, audiences at SXSW were entirely shocked by a particularly sinister moment that unfolds in the latter half of Mimi Cave’s psychological thriller (via ScreenRant).
Our Take On Kidman’s Holland
A Twisted Ride With Frustrating Spills
I’ve loved Nicole Kidman since Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, but I can’t deny that her last few performances haven’t all landed for me. The striking erotics of Babygirl did not save the film from its aimless storyline, and Holland seems to suffer from similar pitfalls; it embarks on an ambitious psychological journey only to unravel into an unsatisfying third act. However, Kidman’s dedication to working with women directors in women-led stories is commendable. While half the critics have so far deemed Holland “rotten,” the other half are glad to have gone on Kidman and Mimi Cave’s twisted, unpredictable ride.
Source: RT
