the teacher, the student, and the cook
One thing that I like about semester breaks is that I have a lot of time to catch up on my reading and watchlist. Recently, I watched The Holdovers, and it's been sitting with me ever since. At first, I didn't expect much. I've watched a lot of films, but I don't usually write about them afterwards. This is one of those movies that sneaks under your skin and makes you think about it for days. By the time it ended, I realized it had reminded me why I love films and cinema so much. I haven't felt this way about a movie in a long time, and it's definitely up there among my favorites now. Set during a snowy Christmas break in the 1970s, the film follows three characters who are left behind for different reasons when everyone else goes home: a grumpy teacher, a troubled student, and a grieving cafeteria worker. At the center of the story is Paul Hunham, a strict, bitter history teacher who seems to enjoy being disliked. He’s overly proud of his intelligence, obsess...