In this wildly unpredictable thriller, Nicole Kidman is the meticulous Nancy Vandergroot, a teacher and homemaker whose picture-perfect life with her community pillar husband (Matthew Macfadyen) and son (Jude Hill) in tulip-filled Holland, Michigan tumbles into a twisted tale. Nancy and her friendly colleague (Gael García Bernal) become suspicious of a secret, only to discover nothing in their lives is what it seems.
As Holland releases on Prime Video in Australia on March 27, Nick L’Barrow was invited to attend a global press conference in which the film’s stars, Nicole Kidman and Gael Garcia Bernal, and director Mimi Cave, unloaded all the behind-the-scenes stories about bringing this darkly fun thriller to life!
On how the aesthetic of Holland helped in discovering their characters…
Nicole Kidman: She’s someone that has the idea of what it means to be in a very sort of idyllic white picket fence type life. But there is a restlessness to her and a desire underneath, and I think that’s where we find her at the beginning.
I wanna point out that [with] the windmills and tulips, you don’t necessarily think of Holland, Michigan. [laugh] Which was part of the appeal of setting this, ‘cause as Mimi will explain, it’s set against a backdrop that is kind of idyllic and fantastical at the same time.
Gael Garcia Bernal: Yeah. I mean, there’s something mysterious and mesmerizing, and at the same time, sort of immediate trust and simplicity. And you see Dave at the beginning a little bit lonely. You know, the worst connotation of the word, you know, like not being able to connect with anybody.
And Nancy seems to be the only person that looks at him. And then looks into him in a way. So, there is that immediate connection. And then one thing follows the next.
On creating the visual aesthetics…
Mimi Cave: I was just in Holland, Michigan last night doing a screening, and we talked a lot about this, why Holland, Michigan? And I think that’s so similar to a lot of other suburbs in the United States, but it does have something special to it. And they’ve really maintained this rich tradition. And so, they have all of these wonderful traditions like Tulip Time Parade and the Windmill. And so, they’ve really kind of have a slice of the past that they’ really upheld. And so, it’s just a really cinematic backdrop that I think helps tell the story visually for sure.
On mixing genres and tones…
Mimi Cave: I think that it is difficult to do that now, but I do think a lot of stories are being told in a lot of different ways, whether it’s on television or in the theatre or streaming. I think the beauty of what we’re able to do now is we get to cross genres, and we get to hit on a lot of different emotional centre points for people. And I think Holland is a really fun ride because hopefully you’re laughing and then you’re scared and then you’re on the edge of your seat. So, I do hope people will kind of just go with it and kind of go back and forth into these different genres and have a fun experience.
On the appeal of taking on challenging roles…
Nicole Kidman: I call myself a character actress. I don’t consider myself sort of lead act, movie star kind of thing. I love creating characters, and that was what Mimi and I talked about, is how to create her as a character. The accent was a huge part of it as well. And I think also there’s an innocence that I found really appealing. And then a sense of wonder, which I hadn’t really had the chance to do.
So those aspects tendency were very appealing. But yeah, I just love exploring. I mean, part of the journey of being artistic is going, hmm, what’s over here? What’s there? And trying things. And I think so much of what we do now is we’re very lucky if we have the ability to try things. And I’m in a position where I get to try things. And I also get to support other people who wanna be on that similar path of exploring and trying things artistically and finding the same people behind the camera that do that as people in front of the camera.
Gael Garcia Bernal: I think it was, first of all, the invitation for, you know, the whole spectrum of what this film was gonna be about and with Nicole. But afterwards talking to Mimi. Because at the end of the day, directors are the ones that, you know, have yeah, the way to be the interlocutors of what the film is gonna be about or what is it gonna be like, you know? And that’s where you kind of happen to fall in love, which is perhaps a very good description, you know? Because there is no direct answer to why particularly this pulled me. It’s a mix of many, many things that start to unfold. And the more you move, the more you start to fall in love even more and more and more. And then it becomes this wonderful act of faith.
On what audiences can expect from Holland…
Nicole Kidman: I hope it’s an unexpected ride. I hope people tune in, press play and go, I’m gonna sit down on the couch, watch this, and be taken on a ride that I didn’t expect. And have some fun. ‘Cause that’s needed right now.
Mimi Cave: And also, hopefully feels a little bit like maybe a movie from the past. I really tried to create a sense of nostalgia. So, I’m hoping people can sort of dip into that.
Gael Garcia Bernal: So, the definition of edge of your seat in that sense, I mean, it’s like that thing of like, really, is this happening? Really? Like what’s happening? I love when that happens.
Thank you to Prime Video for allowing us to take part in this press conference! Holland is now streaming on Prime Video.
