Imagine this: An empty New England boarding school during Christmas in the 70s with three completely different characters who start with nothing in common but end up transforming each other’s lives for the better.
Sound interesting?
Alexander Payne has a knack for creating magic without relying on mega-budget marketing campaigns or star-studded casts. In his latest film, The Holdovers, he delivers a captivating exploration of humanity, particularly during the holiday season when loneliness creeps in and old wounds lay bare and open for one final introspection before the new year rings in.
The film starts with three diverse characters impeccably played by Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa. Their commonality is staying behind at Barton Academy, the boarding school, during the Christmas holiday.
Initially, these characters seem reserved, keeping their multifaceted personalities and problems concealed beneath the surface. The film requests your patience as it gradually reveals these layers over time without losing focus, sprinkled with ample moments of good comedy in between.
Giamatti’s portrayal of the history professor, Paul Hunham, with a lazy eye, seems predictable initially. However, as the movie progresses, you uncover more about his past and understand why he’s so discontented with his current situation.
There are noticeable similarities between him and the young Angus Tully, a student left behind during the holiday, who directs his anger towards the somewhat disliked teacher.
Despite their differences, these two characters share childlike and high-strung personalities. However, the film’s emotional core rests on Randolph’s portrayal of Mary Lamb: a resilient yet vulnerable head cook who mourns the loss of her son during the Vietnam War and chooses to stay behind to grieve at the place where she last spent time with her child.
As the film progresses, it becomes evident that these three characters may not initially share commonalities, yet, much like all of us, they share a past backstory that has moulded and shaped them into who they are today.
The Holdovers offers a compelling introspection into the lives of its three main characters, showcasing how they shared, confronted, and eventually moved past their troubles and less-than-ideal circumstances. It also poignantly states that we are not alone in our struggles and advises us not to judge someone by their demeanour, as we never know what they have been through.
I’m personally drawn to slice-of-life films where the main protagonists (and in this case, there are three!) confront adversities and learned valuable lessons from their experiences.
While they might seem a bit cheesy and not necessarily advancing the celluloid progression compared to this year’s monumental films like Oppenheimer and Barbie, The Holdovers serves as a reminder of the power held by intimate storytelling through intricate characters and relatable journeys, the film quietly celebrates the profoundness of life’s daily battles.
It might not flaunt grandeur or blockbuster status, but its genuine portrayal of human resilience strikes a chord to me, perhaps affirming that art can imitate life when showcasing those quiet struggles and bittersweet relations we found and lost beautifully.