This is a repost of our interview from the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Holler is now available in theaters and on demand.
I’ve already shared aglowing reviewofNicole Riegel’s feature debut,Holler, but it’s well worth further emphasizing thatJessica Bardenis a phenomenal talent. At this point, she’s already amassed quite the resume includingHanna,The Lobsterand the hit showThe End of the F***ing World, but I’m fully convinced there’s loads more to come, especially after catching Barden’s work inHoller.
She leads the film as Ruth Avery, a high school student living alone with her big brother Blaze (Gus Halper) while their mother (Pamela Adlon) is in prison. The two are having an impossible time making enough money selling cans to the local scrap metal dealer, Hark (Austin Amelio). But, when Blaze finds out that Ruth was accepted to college, it’s not just about getting by anymore; he becomes determined to ensure that she can go to school, so they commit to taking higher paying and far more dangerous gigs for Hark.
While Ruth’s situation is mighty specific,Holleralso speaks to the familiar challenge of addressing that ache to grow beyond your circumstances. And that’s something Barden can relate to personally:
“You look around and you’re like, ‘You know, I like this place. It’s comfortable and I know everybody and I can see that people are happy with what they have, but I want to do something different. What is wrong with me? Why do I want to reject all this? Why is everybody else happy to stay in this town and work, find a relationship and just get a house here and just make the best of it?’ And, you know, I went through the same things as Ruth where you’re kind of angry at yourself and you’re angry at the situation, and you wish that you could just be happy with where you are but you want more, and you don’t know how to get it.”
Another especially upsetting layer to the characters’ experiences inHolleris that many of them are boxed in, aren’t given a fair shot and/or forced to get into dangerous just to get by due to forces that are entirely out of their control. Here’s how Barden put it:
“People are stuck in a system that wants to keep them invisible. It doesn’t want them to try new things. It doesn’t want them to think that they can have anything better. That they can’t go to a different country and eat different food, and speak to people that speak a different language or get a higher education. Basically [it] just removes choices. For me, that’s what the movie gets to at the end. Ruth realizes that she does have choices. The most powerful thing that you may realize is that you can say yes or you can say no, and that’s the steering wheel of your life.”
If you’d like to hear more from Barden on her journey withHollerwhich included pouring loads of time and energy into the project, working through a blizzard and a polar vortex, and staying positive when the film’s premiere was delayed due to the pandemic, check out the full video interview at the top of this article! Barden also looked back on makingHannawithSaoirse Ronan, discussed the success ofThe End of the F***ing World, what she loves about working with first-time feature filmmakers, establishing the brother-sister relationship with Halper and so much more.
Jessica Barden:
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