A small, picture-perfect All-American town. An ideal marriage. Nicole Kidman in the lead – what could possibly go wrong in this dark, twisty new Amazon Prime Drama?
Image credit: Amazon Prime
In the past decade, Nicole Kidman has become increasingly synonymous with dark, psychological thrillers – many of them streamed straight to TV. There was Big Little Lies, there was The Undoing, and now there is Holland – the uniting thread seemingly that, in all three, she is married to someone who turns out to be very much not what they seem. (There was also Babygirl, albeit released into cinemas, though that bucks the trend by casting Kidman in the role of the 'transgressive.')
Her latest is Holland, a film has in fact been in development for over a decade (initially Naomi Watts and Bryan Cranston were attached to star). But in the event it is Kidman who has taken on the role of Nancy Vandergroot, a meticulous teacher and homemaker residing in the idyllic town of Holland, Michigan. Her life appears perfect: a stable marriage with her husband Fred, played by Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen, and a loving son, Harry, played by Jude Hill. The town itself is a picturesque enclave, rich with Dutch traditions, complete with windmills, tulips, and wooden-shoed folk dancing. It is, as all ersatz things have a tendency to be, pretty creepy from the off.
And so it proves. Beneath this veneer of perfection lies a sinister undercurrent (surprise, surprise). When Fred embarks on frequent business trips, Nancy's suspicions about his fidelity intensify. She confides in her colleague, shop teacher Dave, played by Gael García Bernal, and together they delve into Fred's activities, uncovering secrets that shatter Nancy's perception of her life and marriage.
Directed by Mimi Cave, Holland brings together elements of Hitchcockian suspense with Lynchian satire, offering a darkly comedic yet unsettling narrative – which sounds just up our street. Streaming on Prime Video on March 27, early reviews have been mixed, with Kidman's performance lauded for its depth and nuance, while some felt the script was lacklustre. Nonetheless, we will be glued to our screens for this next dose of glossy suspense and Nicole Kidman's latest exploration of complex characters where all is not what it seems. When is it ever?
By
Nancy Alsop
·
Published March 2025
Nancy is a magpie for the best in design and culture.
