Hulu Has A Tom Holland Historical Adventure You Probably Forgot All About
Tom Holland is practically everywhere you look. And while we're getting to see him expand the types of roles he plays recently in films like Cherry and The Devil All the Time, he still has one particular kind of role for which he's known — wide-eyed kid who finds himself on an unexpected journey. Peter Parker, as Spider-Man, constantly finds himself pulled into the decidedly more mature superhero drama of The Avengers. Ian Lightfoot sets out to discover the power of magic and brotherly love in Pixar's Onward. Heck, even something like Chaos Walking — which shows a grimly world that turns to violence because men can't hide their feelings — is focused on a naïve kid named Todd — played by Tom Holland — who is escaping his town.
And even in historical films, this character type seems to be Holland's go-to. In fact, there's a film on Hulu right now from 2017 — the same year Spider-Man: Homecoming debuted — that features Holland playing a character who is literally billed as "The Novice." The movie is called Pilgrimage, and there are reasons beyond being a Tom Holland fan that might hold viewers interest.
Pilgrimage is a historical drama with no shortage of violence
Don't be fooled by cherubic young Tom Holland's involvement: Pilgrimage is a deeply dark tale that just so happens to be seen through the eyes of an innocent. The historical drama is set in Medieval Ireland in the early 13th century during a time of holy crusades. Holland plays Brother Diarmuid, a young man dedicated to a small monastery that protects a holy relic — the stone which slayed Saint Matthias in Cappadocia. Matthias was the apostle who was said to replace Judas Iscariot after Jesus's death. The stone used to kill him is considered to be so powerful that only the purest of heart may touch it without being killed.
The literal story of Pilgrimage concerns a group of monks taking a holy relic to Rome. However, what Pilgrimage is really about is the lengths to which people will go to cling to belief without reason and what, if anything, may break people from the bounds of violently dangerous and fanatical faith. While Holland does an excellent job as the innocent Brother Diarmuid, what really makes Pilgrimage work is the relationship he has with his mute partner played by Jon Bernthal (credited as The Mute). Without giving it away, The Mute is no innocent and Bernthal — who most of us know either as Frank Castle in the Marvel Netflix Punisher series or Shane Walsh from The Waking Dead — is very well cast in the part.
In short, if you want to see Holland have to work through complex questions of faith while Jon Bernthal beats the unholy hell out of all comers, Pilgrimage might be worth streaming on Hulu.