Holland ending explained: What is Nicole Kidman starrer really about?

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Nicole Kidman's Holland movie on Prime Video. Reader discretion is advised.

Holland ends on an ambiguous note, which might have left the viewers wondering what happens to Nicole Kidman's character. Does she and Dave lead a happily-ever-after life? And what about Harry? Find the Holland ending explained here.

For the uninitiated, this Prime Video film is a psychological mystery thriller starring Nicole Kidman, Gael García Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries), Matthew Macfadyen (Succession), and Jude Hill (Belfast).

The film arrived on March 27, 2025, on the streamer shortly after its SXSW festival premiere. It is directed by Mimi Cave (Fresh) and written by Andrew Sodroski (Manhunt).

At the end of Holland, Nancy realizes that Fred is a serial killer and kills him. By then, Dave flees the motel, leaving his fate in the dark. In the final moments, we hear Dave's monologue, which almost mirrors what Nancy says at the film's beginning.

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What is the story of Holland?

The Nicole Kidman starrer follows Nancy (Kidman), a married woman living a picturesque life with her optometrist husband Fred (Macfadyen) and their son, Harry (Hill). She works at a local school. Dave (García Bernal), her colleague, develops feelings for her.

Fred frequently goes out of town for work-related meetings. One day, Nancy finds a ticket to a place he never said he had been to. She suspects Fred is cheating on her and seeks Dave's help to investigate it. Once down the rabbit hole, she suspects Fred is a serial killer. Dave discovers the evidence to support her claim.

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What happens to Dave at the end of Holland?

After witnessing Fred seemingly drowning in a lake, Dave returns to Holland and requests Nancy to run away with him. She rejects it for Harry's sake. Soon, at the Tulip Festival, Nancy notices Fred and realizes that he is alive. So, she flees to a motel with Harry.

Dave tracks her and asks her again to flee Holland together. Before they can do anything, Fred shows up there. He gaslights her into believing she won't have a life without him. This time, she doesn't give in to his emotional manipulation and stabs him to death.

After killing Fred, Nancy returns to the motel to find Dave gone. So, even though she and Harry survive, it's not clear whether she ends up with Dave for good. The final moments leave their fate open for interpretation.

A romantic would want them to end up together, but a cynic might consider them being perpetually on the run, unable to find a way out to be safe together.

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What is Holland on Prime Video really about?

On the surface, Holland might seem like just another mystery thriller about a married woman investigating her husband's potential infidelity. However, at its core, the film is about people trying to escape their hostile present, looking for a safe and secure life.

The script reveals that Nancy once left her small hometown, hoping Fred would take her to such a haven. Since it doesn't go as planned, she seeks another life with Dave, who is conflicted by his own worries.

The locals egg Dave's house when he sleeps with Nancy and call him racial slurs. This hostile environment might be one of the reasons he hopes to escape Holland. However, this desire keeps them both indecisive and in a potentially endless state of transition.

In addition to that, the film is also about the alternative lives of its characters. Dave and Nancy have a reality they live in and the one they hope to live in. That's why they question if "it is even real."

Fred also has an identity that he hides and claims that "it is not him." Although he uses it to justify his crimes, it shows his perverse inclinations, which don't seem plausible with his otherwise noble image.