Review of Holy Motors (2012) by Manicure — 28 Nov 2020

I am not sure if I really understood anything at all, but “Holy Motors” is undoubtedly one of the most memorable films of the last decade. It opens with the director, Leos Carax, waking up after a long slumber (this is his first feature film in 13 years) and finding out that cinema as he knew it is now dead. Actors travel all over Paris on huge limousines (the holy “motors” of cinema?) and are constantly in a hurry. They perform multiple characters in all kinds of movie genres, but cameras got so small that they are not even sure that their performances are actually being shot and watched by anyone. However, they still have to keep going to honor the “beauty of the act”. Inadequacy and the inability to catch up are recurrent themes in the film; even the limousines seem to fear being disposed of in a world where technology has to be invisible. Leos Carax mentioned the internet and the digital world as the biggest influences when making this film. In a way, the internet can be a new stage for new actors, if we consider cinema as creating worlds and playing different characters, continuously adopting different identities. But that could be said about life itself, the biggest stage for unfilmed actors.

Carax said that it’s not a film about cinema, then why so many movie references? Kylie Minogue plays Jean Seberg in “Breathless”, Edith Scob wears a mask like her role in “Eyes Without a Face”, Denis Lavant plays Mr. Merde from Carax’s short “Tokyo”, etc.

Oscar plays different characters throughout the film, and even when we are tricked into thinking that he is finally off work, the following scene shows us that it was just yet another of his characters. It’s even pointless figuring out: cinema produces the illusion of reality, but Oscar is indeed just a character from a film. Interpretations aside, Denis Lavant’s stand-out performance and the wide variety of genres and atmospheres we manage to visit make “Holy Motors” a unique and engaging cinematic experience. It felt a bit cold the first time but keeps growing under your skin afterward.