The Holdovers (2023): A very 1970 Christmas

ByFabian Bullitt

2023 • Alexander Payne • 1.66:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓

Reuniting director Alexander Payne and actor Paul Giamatti two decades after Sideways, The Holdovers revolves around a strict boarding school teacher who has to supervise a small group of students forced to remain on campus during Christmas break, forming an unlikely connection with one student and a grieving staff member.

Set in 1970, the film is crafted to emulate the formal and visual language of 1970s American cinema, incorporating film grain, vintage lenses, and period-accurate framing. Every creative detail, from the soundtrack to the muted, slightly desaturated colour palette, has been designed to make the film feel as if it were made five decades ago.

Yet this is not done to convey a nostalgic feeling. It’s an exercise in style to tell a fairly universal story about people who seem to have little in common, but who develop an emotional bond as they connect through the shared experience of loss. This eventually propels them to move forward in life.

Technical Specs:

  • The Story: Stuck at a New England boarding school over Christmas break in 1970, a curmudgeonly classics teacher, a grieving cook, and a troubled student form an unlikely bond as they navigate loneliness, loss, and reluctant companionship.
  • Actors: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston, Tate Donovan, Brady Hepner, Jim Kaplan.
  • Director: Alexander Payne
  • Year: 2023
  • Cinematographer: Eigil Bryld
  • Origin: American Cinema
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
  • Genre: Drama
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