Holler
**Seen at the 2021 Atlanta Film Festival.
“Holler” has a lot on its mind, but a central push in its narrative- to get Ruth, played by Jessica Barden, to see that her life doesn’t have to be an eternal struggle. Staying in one’s hometown is admirable, even if doing so means a seemingly endless grind, but if an opportunity arises for something more, the best thing you can do for yourself is to take it. When my dad took a job in Georgia, and we moved from Ohio in 1988, I was going on 11, and was not ready to leave the only life I knew. As opportunities arose over the years, though, I saw that the best choice was made for me. Does that mean I’ve always lived my best life? No, but it means the chances have been there, and that’s why the choice mattered.
Nicole Riegel’s film is smart, quiet and well-observed. There are moments where some drama feels manufactured for plot mechanics, but ultimately, it serves to underline the fundamental points she wants to make about small-town life, and the decision that Ruth has to make by the end of the film. When I saw it (for the most part) at the Atlanta Film Festival, projection issues arose that facilitated a later rewatch; now that I’ve seen it in its entirety, Riegel’s film reveals itself to be a moving story of growing up, and seeing that something better is possible.
Ruth works at one of the only factories left open in a town in Southern Ohio, which reminds me a lot of the town in Northern Ohio where we lived before moving to Georgia. Her and her brother, Blaze (Gus Halper), work there while their mother is in jail, although she needs to be in a rehab facility for a painkiller addiction; there’s a facility in Florida she could go to, but she wants to be home. To supplement their meager income, they scrounge for scrap metal they can sell to one of the local scrap yards and Hark (Austin Amelio), who seems to be lowering the price on them. One day, Ruth- who’s still going to school- gets an acceptance letter into college; the problem is, they cannot afford for her to go. When they get caught stealing scrap from Hark’s own yard, they work out a business proposition where they will work for him on collecting scrap for his deals with foreign businessmen. The money would be good, but is it worth the risk?
“Holler” is quietly well-acted, by which I mean it doesn’t feel like these actors are, in fact, acting; the film has a documentary feel of following lives, which is part of why some of the drama felt manufactured to me. Barden is the highlight, but Halper matches her- we believe they are brother and sister, and seeing him want more for her is a big part of why “Holler” succeeds; he sees the potential in her for more than the life he and his mother are living, and he wants to encourage that. That’s why he can’t help but laugh at the end when his truck is missing; he knows where it’s headed. Hopefully, a better life.
