The Holdovers (2023)
★★★½
This review may contain spoilers.
what a beautiful reflection of grief, of loss, of found family, of finding where you belong after so long of being lost, of loneliness, of depression. the director said he hates that this movie is associated with comfort and coziness I get that this is a pretty somber film, I liked this quite a bit, while long and the pacing for sure drags a lot this is pretty great, overly emotional for sure but great.
I love the set dressing, every shot was full of so much life, like a person had truly been inhabiting that environment for a long period, the sinks were gross and nasty as if used so much, the hairs left on the sink, the books worn out and read, the kitchen with grease left on walls, old nail holes in the walls, it feels like a real environment probably cause it was but it adds so much to this world that they inhabit, it adds that realness to the world that it needs, the world is still here, people use to be here but they have since left leaving beds worn with blankets and sheets everywhere, water dripping, old used gym mats places. I also loved the costume and hair styling they also were great here the way the colors go from drab to colorful was great, the idea of having very colorful clothes presented to him and him actively refusing them was pretty cool to I mean in the way that Lydia always dressed very colorful and him very dull and she liked him and was trying to be nice to him and his rejection of such nice-ness lead to him wearing color to her party with the idea of opening up to her but instead she dressed slightly less colorful than she did in the whole film.
the cinematography is great, and the way the camera moves very slowly and methodically, it fades into each other, most scenes blocked out are purposeful with the character further away the farther away they are emotionally from that character but as they connect we find them in the same frame, we find them close, the way the film fades into itself is great, showing passing of time but also a very purposeful melding of time like we are with the character at that time, a chaotic boarding schools dinner can feel like it melds together if you have done it some many times especially if it's the last one before a big break and that was so greatly emulated by the camera work here. I love the aspect ratio it's great, I love the style that the film is going for the film dust and grain while it doesn't seem like it's done in the post it is.
the editing was another place where this movie shined for me, the way the editor put the scenes together was pretty great, the fades were great, the post-VFX on the film was pretty stellar, the way a conversation is edited together was perfect, and editing is one of those things that many people notice now because tons of people are editors for video, but when it's done pretty great like it is here it stands out.
the main trio of actors here was a stand-out as well Paul Giamatti Dominic Sessa Da'Vine Joy Randolph especially Da 'Vine she killed it here expressing so much emotional rawness and realness, the scene where she breaks down in the kitchen is very emotional, and then later when she is putting away clothes in the room oh my god what great acting that was. I feel like Dominic is also a stand-out here, showing so much emotion in each scene that we spend with him, and of course, Paul does everything with the material that he is given here and more, all three of them take the material given and elevate it to give that ending scene where Paul gets fire so much emotion you feel for him there and that is what is great.
the story is pretty good, it's nothing huge, and there is no breakthrough here, it's concept and ideas we have seen before just presented in a different style, I love movies that allow us to sit in a character world for a while to feel the pain and experience in their life that they live and this film does allow us to do that, so something like this is pretty much right up my ally, I do feel like the pacing is where issues form for this movie it's a long one and if you aren't prepared to sit in and experience life with these characters then this movie isn't for you.
notes below
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- I love how the title cards are presented.
- also I love it when a movie starts in voice-over over the company logos.
- these establishing shots are very nice.
- love the depth of field we have so far -- nice camera lens choice.
- ooo the set design is great, the bathroom.
- I love the costumes on everyone subtle details like lipstick on teeth or the chain on the cook glasses are great.
- I love how this movie fades.
- also how it blocked that opening scene in the bedroom area with whoever entered the scene.
- I also love the unique aspect ratio.
- I like how the camera tilted up to the painting.
- I love the sound design in the classroom the little echo behind It is great.
- I love the shots in this chapel.
- Mary's actor did a great job portraying that feeling of getting called probably not by choice and living in that awkwardness.
- I love the way the dialogue flows in these scenes, it's kind of like music in the way it pings back and forth.
- these sets are so great so many little details.
- I love the soundtrack, it's very pleasant to listen to.
- I love how the TV fills the silence in this scene.
- a great close-up after he throws the glove.
- the editing has been stellar so far, the way it fades into each other is great.
- I like this shot with them watching TV and him in the background reading, the lighting in this scene is great.
- a trivia note popped up saying that people saw this movie as cozy, I can see that I guess but I see it more as Solem, Somber, a quiet moment.
- like the editing in this montage of him exploring the school.
- I love the way they block some scenes in this movie, him in the foreground and Mary in the background.
- I love the colors on Lydia they are amazing they pop.
- I love the champagne of beers right at the end of the scene, end on the point of the scene we see him finally stand up for him.
- I love how we are seeing a different form of grief and loneliness as a result of each one of them as they grapple with the situation they are in.
- I love how close we are in these intimate moments, you can feel it connection these characters are forming, I don't remember who said it but they said they rarely use close-ups because they take away the limit and wides don't.
- I love how the most wonderful time of the year radiates through the scene as he grapples with the loneliness he is feeling.
- watching them connect in Boston is great, watching them open up to each other.
- wow that fade from the ward to the window of the taxi was great.
- I like that we are so close to him here -- also the depth of field is great here.
- Paul's statement here feels as if he is talking to himself, what he is saying is his life statement.
- I know it's obvious but Boston has changed everyone, but the thing about that change is that it brings new challenges.
- I like that we start with his hardass kind of vibe and we eventually transition into his less hardass kind of vibe.
- "You're going to get me fired." -- clever foreshadowing.
- so he took one last drink to cap his time off to start a new life.
