Story
In a small town on New Zealand’s North Island, 3 elderly nuns, Sister Agnes (Judith Davis), Sister Mary Clare (Jackie Weaver) and Sister Luke (Miriam Margolyes), are threatened with eviction from their convent and relocation to an aged care facility. They know they have deeds to the property and set out on a road journey to the South to find Patricia Ngata (Tanea Heke), who holds the titles. Patricia’s young nephew Brian (Elijah Tamati), who is mourning the death of his mother, persuades the nuns to take him with them to return to his mother’s country.
The road trip to the South and back involves stealing Father Findlay’s (Jonny Brugh) car and collecting ill-gotten gains along the way to finance the journey. On arrival at Patricia’s, Brian sets out alone in search of his mother, climbing up a mountain in a blizzard, which leads to near disaster. Meanwhile, Patricia informs the sisters that leaving the convent for a period will make their ownership of it null and void.
The race is on to get back to the convent in time to save it.
Themes
Death and dying; loss of a parent; grief; abandonment; road trips
Violence
Holy Days has some violence. For example:
- Brian comes home to find his father and new partner cleaning out his mother’s things. Brian gets very upset and screams at them. He starts kicking cartons and says he hates them.
- Brian falls into a river bed and injures his knee.
- Sister Luke falls in the ocean and has to be rescued.
- A man is grabbed by his arms and restrained.
- A main character dies.
Sexual references
Holy Days has some sexual references. For example:
- In a hotel room, there’s a telephone with a label that says, ‘If you’re looking for a good time call …’.
- Sister Luke quotes, ‘Genitals like donkeys. Ezekiel 23:20’.
- Brian tells Sister Agnes she ‘should be prostituted’ for stealing the car (he probably means to say ‘prosecuted’). She replies, ‘It’s a little late for that’.
- A man makes lewd gestures with his tongue at the nuns, who make a rude hand gesture in response.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Holy Days shows some use of substances. For example:
- The priest and a nun smoke.
- The nuns drink some sherry.
- A priest often drinks.
- Characters smoke pot in a van.
Nudity and sexual activity
Holy Days has some nudity and sexual activity. For example, a woman’s buttocks are briefly seen at the back of an open dress.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in Holy Days: Holden cars.
Coarse language
Holy Days has some coarse language.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Holy Days is a tragicomic road trip movie, set in the beautiful landscape of New Zealand. The movie has some comic moments but also some serious themes about a young boy trying to come to terms with the death of his mother. It’s best suited to older children and adults.
These are the main messages from Holy Days:
- Have respect for people who’ve dedicated their lives to the service of others.
- Try to understand that people experience and express grief in unique ways.
Values in Holy Days that you could reinforce with your children include loyalty, friendship, empathy, courage, forgiveness and responsibility.
Holy Days could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues and questions. For example, is it ever OK to steal, bribe or break the law to get out of a difficult situation and achieve your objectives, as the nuns do?