‘The Holdovers’, screened as part of the Leeds International Film Festival, follows the emotional journey of a teacher and his pupil as they spend an unlikely Christmas together at a New England boarding school.
The film captivates the viewer. The audience at The Hyde Park Picture House on Wednesday were both audibly amused and brought to tears which is refreshing in a world where people often seem disengaged with cinema. The warning to put phones away and keep quiet was simply not necessary.
Paul Giamatti, known for ‘The Truman Show’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan’ brings charisma and peculiarity to the maverick, misfit Professor Paul Hunham. Giamatti manages to portray Hunham as a multifaceted being rather than simply a cranky classics teacher or social outsider. He is both of these things but the character has a real depth which is one of the reasons the film is superb. What makes ‘The Holdovers’ so noteworthy is the interaction on screen between Hunham and troubled student Angus played by Domonic Sessa. Both characters are lost and seem to see themselves reflected in the other. But that doesn’t prevent there being several scenes where both are at their wit’s end with the other. They are trapped together whether they want to be or not- like many families are at Christmas. After many a fraught afternoon together, Hunham and Angus begin to grow on each other. Sessa depicts Angus as a troubled adolescent with a sympathetic side, searching for the parental attention he desperately wants. His problematic home life has led him to lack respect and trust for authority figures. He initially sees the professor as another adult who isn’t on his side and Hunham has spent so many years alone that he has almost forgotten the importance of spending the Christmas season with anyone other than Plato and Socrates. Watching the unlikely friends heal each other’s wounds is truly heartwarming.
‘The Holdovers’ would not have been what it is without the poignant performance of Da’Vine Joy Randolph as bereaved mother Mary. Yet another lonely figure, Mary works as head chef in the kitchen and is spending Christmas at the school after her son’s death in the Vietnam War. Her life is a stark contrast to the privileged teachers and pupils as her son was called up after she couldn’t afford to send him to college. Randolph, who gained recognition playing Oda Mae Brown in the Broadway version of 90s film ‘Ghost’, beautifully exhibits Mary’s rage at the cards she has been dealt as well as her quick-wittedness and compassionate nature.
The film is not only set in the early 1970s but has a real vintage feel to it. It felt as if you were watching a returning classic, not something that had been created today. This gave the piece a real quality. Looking to the future, ‘The Holdovers’ will be released on the 19th of January and is certainly not one to miss!
5/5
A special thanks to Leeds International Film Festival.
Photo Credit: Moviedb,IMDb and Leeds International Film Festival