Review of Holy Motors (2012) by Kenneth L — 26 Apr 2013

I can't wait to unleash this movie on poor, unsuspecting undergraduates some day. This is easily one of the strangest films I've ever seen, and perhaps the most boldly allegorical bit of surrealism I've seen since Synecdoche, New York. Although it's all kinds of artsy and weird, it's also terrifically entertaining - I wasn't bored for a second of this one. Fellini's 8 1/2 might be the comparison that comes to mind most readily, but really, this movie isn't like anything else you've seen.

The movie stars Denis Lavant as a sort of actor who goes around Paris in a limousine all day, physically transforming himself into a variety of characters with makeup and costumes and then playing out roles with different people all over the city. When he wakes up in the morning, he's a wealthy businessman; then he's an old woman begging for change; then he's a motion-capture performer; then he's a freakish leprechaun-like man who lives in the sewer, eats flowers, and kidnaps a fashion model (Eva Mendes); and so on throughout the day. Why exactly he is being asked to play all these different parts remains totally mysterious. Each part, though, seems to come from a different genre of movie - socially conscious realism, gangster movies, a deconstructed action movie, etc. There are even two musical numbers, one of which features Kylie Minogue singing. I suspect that the movie is about the nature of filmmaking itself and the viewer's relationship to it, though I'll leave exactly how to parse that out to whoever wants to do so.

Lavant's performance is so good you almost miss it - since there doesn't really seem to be a stable identity behind all the roles, you might literally forget that these parts are all being played by the same guy. And yet he's convincing in each one - or at least, he's convincing as a guy playing each one. Edith Scob is good as the actor's driver/planner, whose own motives are mysterious. I enjoyed Kylie Minogue's appearance and her wistful song near the end. Eva Mendes's part mostly consists of standing around and looking like Eva Mendes, which she does just fine.

The movie was written and directed by a French filmmaker known as Leos Carax; this is my first encounter with his work, I must admit. But what a weird, original talent he is judging by this one. It's tempting to compare him to David Lynch, but I get the feeling that his work might be a bit more consciously intellectualized/theorized than Lynch's id-driven style. This movie knows what it's doing, and while it may seem inexplicable, the movie isn't hostile or indifferent to the viewer the way some of these art films can be. I would be willing to watch it again in a year or two to try to figure out more clearly what's going on. But the movie is wholly engaging on a first viewing, which I think is important to achieve. I could talk more in-depth about what goes on in the movie, but it would be better for you to just see it for yourself and be surprised.

Oh, and it ends with one of the most hilarious, delightfully strange scenes I can remember.