Holy Days
Three nuns and a Kiwi boy go on a cross-country jaunt to save their convent in this chipper, life-affirming comedy.
“Three nuns and a Kiwi boy” sounds like the start of a tasteless joke, but it’s actually a chipper, life-affirming road-trip comedy. Three nuns set out on a cross-country jaunt to save their dilapidated convent from being torn down for a vacation resort, and wind up bringing the kid along for his own parallel spirit quest.
Written and directed by Nat Boltt, an actress making her directorial debut, and based on the book by Dame Joy Cowley, it’s a cheeky affair with a lot of obvious jokes and predictable setups. You don’t go into a movie like this for audaciously original storytelling, but familiar cinematic comfort food.
The cast is certainly a tasty assortment of three legendary actresses: Judy Davis, Jacki Weaver and Miriam Margolyes — two Oscar nominees and a BAFTA winner. They play Sisters Agness, Mary Clare and Luke, respectively, three kindly old biddies living out their waning days at St. Suzanne’s. It used to be a bustling orphanage that was deeply connected with the community in their rural corner of New Zealand.
But by 1974 the place and the nuns have fallen into disrepair and loneliness. Their only companionship is Father Findlay (Jonny Brugh), a loathsome drunk who likes to browbeat the sisters when he’s not watching sports on the telly.
Agness is the stoic leader, while Mary Clare is the kindly go-along type and Luke is stumbling through poor health, including a disturbing habit of forgetfulness. Her beloved garden has fallen into a shambles and the plaster is falling from the ceiling into her soup, so she’s a bit glum these days.
Their only regular visitor is Brian (Elijah Tamati), a kid of about 10 or 11. He’s having troubles at home, with his father (Craig Hall) having remarried after the death of Brian’s mother, a native Māori, some time ago. Brian acts up in defiance of his stepmom (played by Boltt herself), who’s not a bad sort, and then runs to the nuns to confess his sins so he can do chores around the convent. It’s just an excuse to hang out with the people who he feels understand and accept him.
Brian overhears from the awful bishop that they’re going to evict the nuns and tear down the convent to make room for a fancy resort. Even worse, they’re going to put Sister Luke in an infamous facility where her remaining time will be miserable, and short.
So they take off — “borrowing” the priest’s 1960s Holden station wagon (GM’s brand in New Zealand) to find the deed to their convent and thus foil the bishop’s plans. Brian is brought along to help out, but he’s also hoping to visit the sacred mountain of his people — captured in a snow globe he always carries like a totem — and perhaps reconnect with his mother’s spirit.
As you would expect, they get into all sorts of (family-friendly) humorous hijinks. Much fun-poking is made of Sister Agness’ slowness behind the wheel, with other drivers angrily passing and honking. It’s not her fault: she’s half-blind and can only see decently by wearing Mary Clare’s glasses on top of her own.
“Can you even drive?” Mary Clare asks. “Decades of experience,” Agness haughtily affirms. “Not this decade,” Mary Clare retorts.
They don’t even think to bring any money or food, but in a road-trip movie with a religious flavor, the good Lord will provide. Their goal is to eventually find Patricia (Tanea Heke), a former nun who became a lawyer, but also have a mind to make a stop at a home where other members of their order have gone to live.
There are phones in 1974, of course, though Sister Luke has a habit of not-so-accidentally yanking the wire out of them.
Other encounters include some pot-smoking hippies in a VW microbus with a lascivious bent; a purloined horse racing ticket and the resulting bagful of cash; a blizzard that turns amazing fast from beautiful to deadly; and a very un-nunly cavort on the beach.
Is this great filmmaking? No, and it’s not meant to be. It is a hoot to see these very storied actresses leaning hard into a pleasing frolic like this, with some weightier notes here and there to give it just a bit of heft. “Holy Days” is a vacation from tedium.