Unmasking ‘Holland’ at The Triplex

Ben Elliot, left, Creative Director of Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington and Andrew Sodroski, screenwriter of the movie “Holland” introduce the film at a special screening on March 22. Sodroski warned the audience thatthe film is, “Bonkers, twisty, fun.”and “a wild and crazy ride.”

L. Tomaino

Unmasking ‘Holland’ at The Triplex

The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington offered a special screening of the movie “Holland” on March 22 with the screenwriter of the film, Andrew Sodroski, on hand after the film to answer questions. He is a resident of Berkshire County.

“Holland” stars Nicole Kidman, Matthew Macfadyen, who plays her husband, and Gael Garcia Bernal, who plays her friend. Before the start of the film, Sodroski warned the audience that it would be a “wild and crazy ride” but also “bonkers, twisty, fun.”

“The whole movie is about what you see and don’t see. The surface versus underneath,” said Sodroski.

This film delves deep below the surface into the ways that darkness exists in the worst possible cases. Anyone viewing the film should be aware that at its core is a serious mental illness and should bear that in mind should they decide to watch.

The film takes place in Holland, Michigan, which Sodroski chose because he wanted a “specific place with a specific subculture.” In Holland, they celebrate their Dutch heritage with a yearly festival complete with Dutch costumes, wooden shoes, traditional Dutch dancing, a parade, windmills, and tulips. Sodroski used this surface for a “technicolor experience. A sort of dreamworld which in a little while is ripped away.”He admitted to being influenced by his admiration of David Lynch’s films.

In the movie’s Holland, “Smooth surfaces matter. When you leave your house, you always look presentable.”

The movie begins with Kidman’s character having lost a pearl earring (calling to mind Dutch painter Vermeer’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring”) and in her search of her perfect house and her husband’s model train shed, she finds indications of his secret life. At first imagining an affair, she finds an even deeper, darker secret.

During the question-and-answer period, Sodrosky explained that he wrote the screenplay soon after film school, thirteen years ago. He said that “Holland” was on the Black List, “a list of all the most popular unproduced screenplays which have been bought but never seen,” for many years. These scripts are passed amid other screenwriters, producers, and directors. They vote for the best and “Holland” topped the list in 2013.

Sodrosky thought this meant “Holland” would soon be developed into a film, but it took years to find financing, a cast, and a director. “Finally,” he said, “they got Nicole Kidman who brought in director Mimi Cave.”

Sodroski was pleased with the finished film. “It is very, very close to the first draft. The visual world is close. It was like a mind meld with Mimi Cave.”He admitted it can be hard to hand the screenplay over to a director. “They take control,” adding that movies are “always a collaboration with the director, writer, studio, and cast.”

In the end, he said, “You do think about the audience and what experience you want them to have. You’re building a roller coaster and what kind of ride you’re going to give them.”

“Holland” can be seen on Amazon Prime starting March 27.

Latest News

From research to recognition: Student project honors pioneering Black landowner

Cornwall Consolidated School seventh graders Skylar Brown, Izabella Coppola, Halley Villa, Willow Berry, Claire Barbosa, Willa Lesch, Vivianne DiRocco and Franco Aburto presented a group research project on the life of Naomi Freeman Wednesday, April 23. In attendance were U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., John Mills, president of Alex Breanne Corporation, Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, Cornwall Selectman Jennifer Markow and CCS social studies teacher Will Vincent.

Photo by Riley Klein

CORNWALL — “In Cornwall you have made the decision that everyone here matters and everyone’s story is important,” said U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., to the seventh grade class at Cornwall Consolidated School April 23.

Hayes was in attendance to celebrate history on Wednesday as the CCS students presented their group research project on the life of Naomi Cain Freeman, the first Black female landowner in Cornwall.

Keep ReadingShow less
Legal Notices - April 24, 2025

Town of Salisbury

Board of Finance

Keep ReadingShow less
Classifieds - April 24, 2025

Help Wanted

Experienced horse equestrian: to train three-year-old white Persian Mare for trail riding. 860-67-0499.

Help wanted: Small Angus Farm seeks reliable help for cattle and horses. Duties include feeding, fence repair, machine repair. Will train the right person. 860-671-0499.

Keep ReadingShow less