Holly
Gripping drama from Belgian filmmaker Fien Troch (Home, Kid) about a 15-year-old girl who suddenly finds all eyes on her after she seems to have predicted a deadly school fire.
Holly calls her school to say she is staying home for the day, not because she’s ill, but because ‘bad things are going to happen today’. Soon after, a fire breaks out at the school, killing several students. With everyone touched by the tragedy, the community comes together, trying to heal. Anna, a teacher, intrigued by Holly and her strange premonition, invites her to join the volunteer program for the victims’ relatives she is running. Holly’s presence seems to bring peace of mind, warmth, and hope to those she encounters. But soon, people begin to seek out Holly and her cathartic energy, demanding more and more from the young girl.
As in her last two films HOME and KID, Fien Troch focuses on the elusive world in which young people – involuntarily – find themselves. What is new, however, is that there is also room for humour in HOLLY. Especially autistic Bart, Holly’s best friend, regularly introduces a comic note. This makes the spiritually inclined coming-of-age drama considerably less heavy than its topic may suggest.