Review of Holy Motors (2012) by James M — 12 Apr 2013

Leos Carax's enigmatic Holy Motors has been both lauded and loathed since it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012.

Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant) is an actor of sorts who is driven around in his stretch limousine-cum-dressing room by his chauffeur Celine (Edith Scob) to complete various assignments in and around Paris.

Why and for whom is not exactly clear, but that doesn't seem to bother Carax, nor detract from the film's powerful presence.

Highlights include an arresting sequence with Eva Mendes as the striking model Kay M, and Kylie Minogue as a colleague of special significance Oscar, who delivers a poignant ballad in an abandoned department store.

While it is, admittedly, one of the oddest films I have ever seen, it was by no means a waste of my time; and while there are several different and seemingly unrelated vignettes that make up this film, none of it seems without purpose or meaning.

Just when you think you have Holy Motors pegged, a peculiar twist at the end will keep you guessing as to what it is Carax is getting at. Perhaps it is nothing more than the instability of certainly, meaning and life itself. Whatever it is, this film is bold, violent, contemplative, beautiful and at times erotic; and Carax's vision cannot be denied.