‘Holler’ Review: Jessica Barden Shines in Better, More Honest Version of ‘Hillbilly Elegy’

The year 2020 should have kicked off a banner one for young actress Jessica Barden: At the SXSW Film Festival, she was set to surface in Nicole Riegel’s affecting blue collar drama “Holler” and the very different, though similarly well-made “Pink Skies Ahead.” Both movies feature Barden in leading roles that show off her big-time rage.

The physical festival was canceled due to the pandemic, and both films were eventually pushed to 2021.

Now, audiences can finally appreciate that Barden is doing excellent work and exhibiting a rare depth for her age.Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Riegel (and inspired by her own coming-of-age in the Ohio Rust Belt and her earlier short film of the same name), “Holler” sets the “End of the F**king World” star as something of a Riegel surrogate: high school senior Ruth, sassy and brassy, smart and driven, and trapped by the

Read full article