Writer-director Nat Boltt’s Holy Days is a road trip comedy built on grief, faith, and the kind of stubborn belief that everything will work out in the end. Young Brian Collins (Elijah Tamati) is lost in life and in 1974 New Zealand. His mother passed away, and his father, Joe (Craig Hall), is about to be remarried to his fiancée, Liz (Nat Boltt), with a whole new set of siblings, and he’s not having any of it. He throws tantrums and refuses to listen to his father and soon-to-be stepmother. His only refuge is the nearby church and the sisters who live there. Sister Agnes (Judy Davis) runs a tight ship. Sister Mary Clare (Jacki Weaver) keeps the peace. Sister Luke (Miriam Margolyes) is cheerful, sweet, and not entirely sure what year it is.
When Joe and Liz want to get rid of his mother’s belongings, Brian has had enough and runs away to the church. While hiding in a confessional, he overhears Father Findlay (Jonny Brugh) and Bishop Chaytor (John Bach) discussing selling the church for cash and sending the sisters out to pasture. Upon hearing the news, the sisters decide to go on an extended holiday and travel across the country, as Sister Agnes holds the Church’s deeds and, therefore, the Church cannot be sold without them.
Now, the cross-country adventure is to get their hands on the deed and give Brian a chance to visit the sacred mount his mother’s people came from. But their first obstacle is boarding a ferry that’s already full, and time is running out as they have only a few days to save the church.
“Time is running out as they have only a few days to save the church.”
What saves Holy Days as a movie is its tone. It’s a comedy, but it never goes in the direction of over-the-top wackiness. Beyond the comedy is the sweetness of the story. Brian is a good kid who refuses to allow anything or anyone to replace the memory of his mother. Much of the comedy comes from the naivete of the nuns, or is it the naivete of the rest of the world? Though the best gag is the names of the horses Father Findlay placed bets on for some quick cash.
Along with the tone, the film’s cast is outstanding. As Brian, Elijah Tamati is great as the good bad kid. He’s not bad, but he’s frustrated and in pain, and it shows. Who doesn’t love veteran character actor Jacki Weaver? Her fun-loving spirit is a right counter to Judy Davis’ strict Sister Agnes. Miriam Margolyes rounds out the cast as the very senior sister, embracing life as she does her church garden.
Nat Boltt has crafted something rare with Holy Days — a film that finds genuine humor in heartbreak without ever making light of either. It’s a movie for the whole family, especially Catholics.
"…a movie for the whole family, especially Catholics."
