Austin Film Festival Review: Holidays at all Costs

Fred (Oumar Diaw) is a loving husband and father who just wants to please his family while not causing any trouble. He’s an honest and hardworking man, but not everyone else around him is the same.

Excited to take his wife and son on a vacation for the first time in years, a series of financial setbacks make this seemingly simple task quite difficult, and quite ridiculous.

Holidays at all Cost (Des vacances à tout prix ) follows the drastic measures Fred takes, and the ones he won’t take, to make sure his family can have a memorable vacation. Included in his desperate attempts to keep the vacation alive is reaching out to an old friend for help, who unbeknownst to Fred, doesn’t have his best interests at heart.

Stevan Lee Mraovitch's social satire, which won Comedy Vanguard award at this year's Austin Film Festival, is successful in a simple conflict that makes for a compelling source of suspense. Fred is too busy taking odd jobs given to him by his old friend Jean-Luc (Benjamin Garnier) to spend time with his own wife (Donia Eden), leading his naivety and insecurity to become the best of him in the process.

The seemingly simple premise spirals into a series of absurd moments, many of them genuinely shocking and sure to cause a laugh. Within the moments of whimsy, writer/director Stevan Lee Mraovitch does a fantastic job at creating suspense that builds throughout the film, something that is only amplified by the strong performances of Diaw and Eden, and the amusingly villainous turn by Garnier.

Unfortunately, despite an intriguing first two acts, the final piece is not able to pay off what has been set up. With a convoluted final message, uncharacteristically heavy-handed messaging, and questionable character choices, the final 15 minutes could lead one to re-evaluate their appreciation for the previous hour and a half.

Despite the disappointing ending, Fred’s journey is compelling to watch nonetheless. The lengths he will go for his family are often nonsensical, frustrating, hilarious, and beautiful. It’s the film’s unpredictable spiral that makes it so compelling to watch.

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Holidays at all Costs

Comedy Vanguard award winner
Thu., Oct. 28, 7:10pm

Austin Film Festival, Oct. 21-28. Find all our news, reviews, and interviews at austinchronicle.com/austin-film-festival.