Opening with a shocking and unexplained murder, Susan Jacobson’s (Bushido: The Way of the Warrior) latest movie, The Holding, will have you glued to your TV from the very moment it starts, and begins to present a brutal view of the British countryside unlike anything your likely to have see before.
Set on a remote farm in the Peak District, The Holding sees Cassie Naylor (Kierston Wareing, Rise of the Footsoldier) struggling to run a farm all by herself (after murdering her husband eight months prior to the ebents of the film), whilst raising two young girls; a moody and slightly disturbed teenager named Hannah (Skye Lourie, The Pillars of the Earth), and a young pre-teen named Amy (Maisie Lloyd) who’s recently found God; and having the neighbouring farmer constantly trying to either buy her out, or marry her (when he’s not leaving her dead rabbits as a present, or murdering her cattle out of lust-fueled jealously).
Things start to heat up when an intense yet charming drifter named Aiden (Vincent Regan, 300) arrives on the scene, claiming to be a friend of Cassie’s former husband, and begins to work on the farm for free; fueling the fires of jealously for neighboring farmer Karsten (Terry Stone, Rise of the Footsoldier), attempting to work his way into the affections of Cassie and her daughters, and protecting Cassie’s farm from anyone he perceives to be a threat; often employing unnecessarily violent solutions to problems, that he struggles to hide from everyone around him.
Violence erupts like Krakatoa in The Holding (only with less warning), is staggeringly brutal in its speed and execution, and then suddenly calms down just as quickly, leaving viewers with an uneasy feeling, at the edge of their seats, wondering “did that really just happen?” and “when’s it going to happen again?”; effectively building the tension throughout, and increasing the sense of worry, fear, and dread that anyone watching will be feeling; as it’s clear from the start that there’s something not quite right with Aiden, but it’s difficult to put your finger on exactly what it is, and what his goals are.
It’s also difficult to describe much of The Holding without giving away too much of its plot, but it’s nice to know that its twist/explanation is much more plausible than the one most viewers will predict is coming as they watch, that the relationship Aiden forms with not only Cassie, but her daughters (the eldest of which seems to detest him, while the younger idolizes him from the outset), is tense, gripping, and, like Aiden himself, constantly creepy and slightly unnerving; as Susan Jacobson’s superb direction, and the actors strong performances, help create an ever increasing pace as the family descends further into their nightmare, that you will be powerless to turn away from.
Vincent Regan is brilliant as Aiden, and effortlessly pulls off both sides of his personality with an unsettling degree of believability; being charming and thoughtful from the outset, and also capable of instantly flipping into a sociopathic rage (and hiding those tendencies from those around him); making him both easily watchable, strangely likable, and despicable in equal measure, alongside the believable yet not outstanding performance put forward by Kierston Wareing, the similarly average showings of the young girls, and two strong performances by Terry Stone (albeit a slightly OTT one) and David Bradley (Harry Potter).
In short, The Holding is a true example of British filmmaking at its finest; it’s dark, it’s atmospheric, it’s engaging, and not only does it provide a brilliant build-up to a great payoff (thankfully so, as movies such as this tend to experience a sudden downturn in quality during their conclusion, but The Holding never does because it never goes too OTT), but it contains no boring exposition, and reminds us how great it is to see a British movie that’s not just another gangster flick or formulaic rom-com.
The Holding is clearly underrated, and will unfortunately stay that way as it’s unlikely to be seen by as many people as it should be, but anyone who sees it is bound to appreciate it because it’s a gripping thriller that will leave your eyes open, your jaw dropped, and have you wondering why Emmerdale has never been this brutal. In fact forget Emmerdale, if you want a true comparison to be made, The Holding is every inch of the film that The Stepfather (remake) should have been; brutal, dark, tense, atmospheric, and an unnerving ride that simply demands to be seen.
