The other project she developed, a film adaptation of Kathleen Tessaro’s novel Rare Objects, is set to be released spring 2023. Both pieces were shot entirely during the pandemic at various stages of its grasp on our world. “It was really exhilarating,” Holmes says of being in a position of control during a time of such powerlessness. “Having the ability to play a scene and be able to say, ‘Oh, let’s change this line,’ or ‘Say that,’ or ‘Let’s just try this,’ was great because I knew the day, so I knew what we had to achieve. So it was like, Okay, I think we can take the time for this to play a little bit, or No, we don’t need to [waste] time [doing] that now.” After often being at the whim of a director’s vision herself, finally getting the opportunity to step behind the camera and make those decisions, both big and small, was an exciting challenge. “Some days were great, and some days I messed up,” she says. “But I think that is something you get the more you do it, the more you learn.”
At the same time, Holmes is conscious of the importance of being flexible with her vision and knows that in some instances, she’ll need to waive her authority. “I’m in the position of control, and that’s something that I respect. That being said, the true process is something bigger than everybody involved in a very true way because there are so many pieces that have to come together,” she says. “Now you have to be the one in charge saying yes, no, yes, no, and this is the vision I want. But I also depend on everyone.” Without that collaboration, her dream for the project could never come to fruition. Certainly, it wouldn’t become the best version of itself. “I always say to people, ‘Please read this, and if it inspires you, I want you to do it. If it doesn’t, I’m okay. But if it does, then bring it all.’ That way, we can be fully in it,” she says. “We’re all trying to make the best movie, and we become partners in a way.” So while, yes, her word is the final one, it’ll never be the only one that’s heard.
