Holes

***Holes*** is a 2003 American adventure comedy film

## Synopsis

A wrongfully convicted boy is sent to a brutal desert detention camp where he joins the job of digging holes for some mysterious reason.

## Plot

Teenager Stanley Yelnats IV lives in Texas with his family, who have been cursed to be unlucky – a misfortune they blame on their ancestor Elya's failure to keep a promise to a fortune teller years ago in Latvia. One day, Stanley is falsely arrested for stealing a pair of sneakers that were donated to charity by a famous baseball player. Upon conviction, Stanley decides to attend Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp, in lieu of serving his time in jail.

He arrives to find that the camp is a dried up lake run by the warden, Louise Walker, her assistant Mr. Sir, and camp counselor Dr. Kiowa Pendanski. Prisoners who are known by their nicknames – including Zero, Armpit, Zig-Zag, Squid, X-Ray, and Magnet – spend each day digging holes in the desert; they may earn a day off if the inmates find anything interesting. After finding a golden lipstick tube initialed K.B. and a fossil, Stanley is accepted into the group and is given the nickname Caveman.

After taking the blame for Magnet's stealing of Mr. Sir's sunflower seeds, Stanley is taken to the warden's house where old wanted posters and newspapers lead him to suspect that "KB" stands for Katherine "Kissin' Kate" Barlow, a school teacher-turned-outlaw from the past. Walker asks Stanley to grab her box of nail polish and mentions that it contains rattlesnake venom. After he and Mr. Sir explain what happened with the sunflower seeds, Walker injures Mr. Sir and allows Stanley to return to his hole.

Camp Green Lake's history is revealed in a series of flashbacks throughout the film. In the 19th century, Green Lake is a flourishing lakeside community. Kate is involved in a love triangle with the wealthy Charles "Trout" Walker, whom Kate rejects, and an African-American onion seller named Sam, whom Kate loves. One night, after much turmoil, Walker kills Sam and in retaliation, Kate kills the local sheriff and becomes an outlaw; at one point, she steals Elya's son Stanley's chest. Twenty years later, the now bankrupt Walkers track down Kate and demand she hand over her treasure. Kate refuses and tells them to dig for the treasure, after which Kate dies from a lizard bite and the Walkers set about digging for the treasure, eventually using the dried-up lake as a camp for inmates to search for it.

In the present, Pendanski insults Zero, whose name is revealed to be Hector, and Hector responds by hitting Pendanski with a shovel and running into the desert. After some deliberation, Stanley sets out to find Hector. The pair have difficulty surviving in the desert without water. Eventually, Stanley carries the now ill Hector up the mountain where they find a wild field of onions and a source of water, helping them regain strength; at the same time, Stanley unknowingly fulfills his ancestor's promise to the fortune teller and breaks the curse. While camping on the mountain, Stanley discovers that Hector stole the sneakers and threw them over the bridge to evade the police.

Returning to the camp, Stanley and Hector investigate the hole where Stanley found the lipstick and discover a chest before they are discovered by Walker, Mr. Sir, and Pendanski. After escaping Walker with the help of some lizards, it is revealed that Walker is Charles's granddaughter. The next morning, the attorney general and Stanley's lawyer arrive, accompanied by police officers; the chest Stanley found is discovered to belong to his great grandfather before it was stolen by Kate. Walker; Mr. Sir, who is revealed to be a paroled criminal named Marion Sevillo; and Pendanski, who is a criminal impersonating a doctor, are arrested. Stanley and Zero are released and it rains in Green Lake for the first time in over 100 years. The Yelnats family claims ownership of the chest which contains jewels, deeds, and promissory notes, which they share with Hector, and both families live a life of financial ease as neighbors.