Holiday in the Wild is yet another NETFLIX film to cater to people’s desire for cheesy yet delightful Christmas films. Kate Conrad’s (Kristin Davis) world has come crashing down around her after her son (John Owen Lowe) leaves for college and her husband (Colin Moss) tells her he no longer loves her. Kate leaves for Zambia alone on what was supposed to be her second honeymoon, where she soon begins volunteering at an elephant sanctuary.

Holiday in the Wild follows a similar formula of other NETFLIX originals where the plot is driven solely by the circumstances of the main characters. Before leaving for Zambia, Kate Conrad lived in an upscale New York City condo with her businessman husband. Trained as a veterinarian, she has not worked since she focused on raising their son. Kate later uses her veterinary background when volunteering at the elephant orphanage. NETFLIX often gives characters certain traits in order to make the plot more convenient; the writers use the same formula for constructing the background of Rob Lowe’s character Derek Holliston, as he plays a pilot that brings tourists to safari lodges in Zambia while also volunteering at the elephant rescue.

Since the bulk of the story takes place in Africa, it is frustrating that it is solely centered on financially well-off white people and black actors are reduced to supporting roles, put to one side for the romance plot to take shape. Jonathan (Fezile Mpela) is the only African character that contributes in any meaningful way to the film and is just present to show Kate how to care for the elephants. At one point, Jonathan’s family comes to visit the sanctuary and his wife gives Kate advice about what direction she should take in life. The rest of the elephant caretakers never speak. Though the Zambians are never treated as ignorant or evil, it is frustrating that the black characters are not fully developed.

The best part of Holiday in the Wild is the amount of care NETFLIX put into animal welfare. Most of the scenes featuring elephants were filmed at Game Rangers International Elephant Orphanage in Lusaka, Zambia. The sanctuary has strict management protocols and worked with NETFLIX to ensure the elephants were minimally impacted during the shoot. For scenes when the actors were touching the elephants, ‘body doubles’ were used. Puppets were made to resemble one of the orphaned elephants at the sanctuary exactly. There are points when the baby elephants look real and other points where they look a little fake but for the most part, the crew did an excellent job constructing said scenes with authenticity and sincerity.

Holiday in the Wild is not the most memorable film and the dialogue is profoundly cringe-worthy, with the film also bordering on being orientalist with certain character choices. However, it is beautifully shot and is a well-made film that raises awareness of elephant conservation to NETFLIX’s broad audience. It is comforting to know that the elephants were treated with the utmost care when making the film.

Holiday in the Wild is streaming exclusively November 1st, 2019

Holiday in the Wild

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