One of my absolute favorite things about the festival circuit is how it’s often a springboard for emerging talent and an opportunity to debut a stellar first feature with an especially warm embrace. I had high hopes that’d be the case forNicole Riegel’s feature debut,Holler,earlier this year at SXSW, but now I’m hoping we can maintain a similar level of fanfare with an in-person/virtual hybrid event because the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival selection certainly deserves it.
The cliche combination of hard work and determination can certainly be useful tools to achieve a dream, but it’s rarely that simple, especially when things entirely outside of your control can dictate your opportunities. Family troubles, financial woes, where you’re from and other factors that might not have been one’s doing at all can contribute to feeling forced forward on a path you’re given, rather seizing your potential to grow beyond it.Holleris a beautiful character portrait of the inner turmoil one can experience deciding whether or not to defy the naysayers and make a move that could redefine your future.
The movie starsJessica Bardenas Ruth Avery, a teenager living in Southern Ohio with her big brother Blaze (Gus Halper). With their mother Rhonda (Pamela Adlon) in prison, it’s all on Ruth and Blaze to get by as scrappers stealing metal and selling it off to the local dealer, Hark (Austin Amelio). When Ruth gets into college, Blaze becomes determined to ensure that she can go so he opts to step up their work in the scrapping scene and takes on more dangerous assignments for Hark.
One of the highlights of writing a brief synopsis for a review is when the realization hits hard that the story is so much more than its one-paragraph summary and that’s most certainly the case with Riegel’s film. It’s one thing to set a goal for a character and get that individual from A to Z, but Ruth’s main goal isn’t that simple.
Ruth knows she’s bright and Barden makes the most of that particular quality. Ruth has a tough exterior and often exudes confidence, but Barden also doesn’t let you forget that she’s an impressionable teenager. On the one hand, she loves Blaze and doesn’t want him to give up everything just so that she can go to college, but Ruth also knows that things won’t get much better for her if she stays put. Does she leave her family behind for a better life? Is that a betrayal? It’s a conundrum that requires a deeply internal performance and Barden delivers big in that department.
One of the most impressive qualities ofHolleris that Riegel doesn’t just take this approach with her protagonist; that same sensitivity and understanding of the multitude of complications an individual could be dealing with is applied to all of the key supporting characters, one of the most powerful of the bunch beingBecky Ann Baker’s Linda. Linda is Rhonda’s best friend and has been a major source of comfort and support for Blaze and Ruth since Rhonda went to prison. Not only does Linda feel responsible for them, but she’s also a leader at the failing local food factory and the other employees look at her for guidance and encouragement. Rhonda can be quite good at offering that, but there’s only so much she can do when everything starts to unravel.
Riegel also finds great success behind the lens, especially when it comes to the atmosphere of the film. Her choice to shoot on 16mm, and in a polar vortex, winds up being a stroke of genius. The delicacy with which she captures her leads givesHollera chilly authenticity, and her attention to detail with the portions of the film that focus on the scrapping business adds a gritty and dangerous feel. And the real beauty ofHolleris how all of this comes together to truly make you feel the weight of one’s circumstances, and how someone could feel trapped and severely limited because of them.
It’s just all too easy to narrow one’s potential to grow based on who they are and where they’re from, whether it’s being judged by another or putting the weight of self-imposed doubt and obligation on yourself.Hollerdeftly breaks down the box Ruth is being pressured to conform to in an inspiring way, but without ever mitigating the reality of the give-and-take that comes with making a major life decision.
