Underrated Gems #2: Holes (2003)

Directed by Andrew Davis. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight.

“For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.” - Luke 8:17.

Life can often feel so cruel and random. One day, we’re walking down the street minding our own business, and the next moment, a pair of famous shoes fall out of the sky, and we find ourselves in a courtroom falsely accused of theft. Such is the harsh fate of Stanley Yelnats, an unlucky teen from a long line of unlucky men, all with the same unlucky name. Stanley is promptly shipped off to a detention camp despite being innocent, and finds himself alone in the middle of the Texas desert, surrounded by cruel authority figures and hardened bullies. His task, along with the other delinquent boys in orange jumpsuits, is to dig one hole every day from dawn to dusk. Digging one hole per day will turn a bad boy into a good boy, or so says the logic of the ironically named Camp Green Lake. Few things about the camp make sense, and few things about Stanley’s life make sense. His fate seems predestined, cursed even, and his family constantly blames their bad luck on the actions of Stanley’s great-great-grandfather, whom they believe brought a curse upon the family when he slighted a gypsy woman.

Does Stanley have any control over his life and circumstances? Or is his fate forever in the hands of an external force? With a boundless sense of discovery, Louis Sachar’s screenplay (adapted from his own runaway hit novel) treats Stanley’s life and history the same way the boys treat their daily digging. They’re not sure exactly what they’re looking for, but they continue to dig, continue to search for answers, and over time, things begin to make sense. Using a flashback structure, director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive) slowly and skillfully unearths the history of the camp, and the history of the Yelnats family, filling in plot holes one by one. The book and film enthralled young and old fans alike with the slow discovery of the unknown, ingeniously tying every plot thread together until there was not a single hole left.

But while the treasure-hunt-plot gives plenty of intrigue and fun, there is an underlying question of divine intervention that haunts every moment of Holes. For one flashback, in a moment of Old Testament wrath, God supposedly punished the Texas townsfolk for their unjust hanging of the local onion picker. In another, a heartsick man breaks his promise to a gypsy and supposedly causes his entire bloodline to suffer the consequences. We see glimpses of Stanley’s struggling family and the heavy implications that their life is forever tied to their past. Is bad luck really to blame for these character’s struggles? So it might seem. And yet, is it really so unlucky that after four generations of supposed bad luck, a fifth generation finds himself in just the right place at just the right time? Is it really so unlucky that in the middle of the desert surrounded by nothing but sand and heat, people find water and refuge on a mountain named after the hand of the Almighty? Louis Sachar suggests that lucky versus unlucky may just be a matter of perspective, but regardless of what Stanley and his family believe about luck, one thing is true; someone else is watching out for them. 

Though his ancestors were not completely bad people, his great-great grandfather was careless, his great grandfather was greedy, his grandfather was pessimistic, and his own father was obsessive. Only casting blame on bad luck, his family often ignores their own shortsightedness. Stanley himself feels blown by the wind, forever at the mercy of fate, but his strength of character does not go unnoticed. He is level-headed and kind, rarely thinking of himself, and accepts suffering with a patient spirit. It seems as though Divine Providence takes his virtue into account, pushing the most naturally virtuous member of the family towards achieving God’s ultimate plan. 

In Catholic teaching, Divine Providence refers to God ordering the events of the universe so that all things may fulfill their intended purpose. God’s end for His creatures is to glorify Him and celebrate the work of His hands, and by implication, this is where Stanley’s journey takes him. Taking refuge atop the mountain shaped like God’s thumb, Stanley finally acknowledges the events of his life and ancestors, even the evil that befell them, as guided by a caring hand. Despite much of his life feeling out of his control, Stanley’s free choice never feels in question either. He freely chooses kindness towards his bunkmates despite their cruelty, he freely chooses to rescue a friend in need, and when a moment of truth about his circumstances comes to light, he freely chooses to look past the hardship and give thanks for the suffering endured, because through hardship came strength of character, and through persistence came clarity. 

As the story comes to its conclusion, God’s wrath is tempered with mercy, and a sign of His forgiveness towards his wandering children comes in the form of a rain shower. The lake that sin turned into a desert is given a chance at life again, and characters who have been wandering for years digging for answers are finally given what they seek. Just retribution comes to the wicked, but others are given chances at redemption, and in the end, all that was buried is made known. Never directly calling attention to the spiritual aspects of the movie, Andrew Davis lets the story and characters speak for themselves, and lets the audience draw conclusions about God’s intervention for the Yelnats family. His old fashioned filmmaking provides a rollicking good time, crafting one of the most entertaining and intelligent family films of the twenty-first century, and it can be enjoyed as just that. But dig a little deeper, and the filmmaking team offers much richer rewards below the surface. 

Perhaps this analysis has focused on the spiritual undercurrent more than Sachar intended, but as a storyteller, he made a lasting impact on readers and viewers because he acknowledged the possibility of the Divine acting in the lives of his characters. To understand God’s divine plan for our life is a genuine human desire, and people have forever been frustrated when God’s plan feels elusive, and when suffering feels random and unjustified. How satisfying is it, then, to see how God uses people and events, both good and evil, to bring about greater ends, and what great hope there is that one day, all that is hidden will come to light.