Holland ending explained: What happens to Fred?

The film is the second feature from Fresh director Mimi Cave and boasts a script which had long been considered hot property in Hollywood, having initially topped the Black List of the best unfilmed screenplays back in 2013.

At that time, a version was in development which was set to be directed by acclaimed documentarian Errol Morris – with Naomi Watts and Bryan Cranston in the starring roles – but production was abandoned, leading to a long gap before the project picked up steam again with its new cast and crew.

Set in the titular Michigan town, which was founded by Dutch settlers in the 184os and takes much of its culture from the Netherlands, Kidman stars as Nancy Vandergroot, a married teacher who begins to suspect her husband Fred (Matthew Macfadyen) is having an affair.

But when she teams up with fellow teacher Dave (Gael García Bernal) to investigate his behaviour, two crucial things happen.

First she begins to develop romantic feelings for Dave and embarks on an affair of her own. And then she finds that her husband's secret is far darker than she could have possibly imagined...

Seen the film and need the final moments unpacked? Read on to have the Holland ending explained.

Holland ending explained: What happens to Fred?

Nancy and Dave's investigation soon confirms that Fred is indeed up to something suspicious – with the pair discovering everything from handcuffs, underwear and even dog treats among his belongings in his hotel room.

But the biggest breakthrough comes when Nancy decides to take a closer look at the large model railway that Fred has been obsessing over for much of the film.

She realises that hidden on several houses in the model, are the names of women – and closer research reveals that they are all young women who have been murdered in the last few years.

Turns out Fred isn't just a serial adulterer, he's a serial killer. And he's been marking his victims and the locations of their deaths on his beloved model. Grim.

Unfortunately, this discovery comes too late to save Fred's next victim. Unaware of Nancy's discovery, Dave has followed him to his latest rendez-vous, and walks in just in time to witness another murder.

This results in a confrontation between the two men, which ultimately leads to Dave stabbing Fred, who then stumbles into a nearby lake. He's presumably dead, right?

Well, Dave certainly thinks so, but rather than telling Nancy the truth he tells her that Fred has skipped town, presumably safe in the knowledge that he's not going to make a return any time soon.

He also makes a stab at convincing Nancy to leave Holland with him, but she insists that doing so would further mess up her son Harry's life, something she is not willing to do – and so instead says that she will stay, promising to keep their dark secret hidden.

But it won't be that simple. You see, it turns out that Fred didn't actually succumb to his wounds from his earlier confrontation, and at the town's annual Tulip Time festival he rears his head again.

Eventually, Nancy finds Fred talking to Harry and he tries to convince her that they should reset their marriage and forget everything that happened, saying that the "real" him is the man who shared their family life, not the man committing the murders.

Nancy, however, has had enough. Although they begin to drive away together, she then forces him to stop the car and frantically tells Harry to run away. Then she takes out a gun, telling him that he's "not going to put me in one of your f**king little houses" and then shooting him.

The initial shot only wounds her husband, but in the ensuing scramble she takes a clog and beats him to death before rushing to comfort Harry. He's definitely gone for good this time.

What does the closing voiceover mean: was Dave real?

In a closing voiceover, we hear Dave saying: "I wanted to believe I lived on the best place on Earth – Holland, Michigan. There were days it all felt like a dream: the people, the tulips, the windmill."

At this point, Nancy's voice takes over to declare: "It was perfect," before Dave picks up again, saying: "When I came here, I was afraid, I was confused."

The two voices then begin to cross over each other, talking about how their lives changed when they met each other, how they opened each other's eyes and felt safe and happy together.

At the very end, Nancy says: "I finally saw a way out. But sometimes I wonder, was it even real?"

The point here is clearly connected to the theme of artifice: much of the film is discussing how a seemingly perfect, dream-like veneer can hide some incredibly dark secrets, and some of this final speech is getting at the same point.

But director Mimi Cave has revealed that it could also suggest that Dave was nothing but a figment of Nancy's imagination – a fantasy catalyst that was needed to pierce the facade of her life.

“Maybe Dave was never there, maybe Nancy fantasised this whole relationship, and her fantasy was a catalyst toward the truth,” she said, per USA Today. “If you look back in the film, it actually makes a lot of sense."

Holland is now streaming on Prime Video – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.

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