Review of Holy Motors (2012) by Andy W — 02 Feb 2013

Holy Motors is a fascinating rumination and tribute to cinema in its primitive form ("beauty of action" and "motions), and it also serves as a self-reflexive journey of cinema that's constantly in need of change and reinvention.

There are many unforgettable cinematic moments in the film (the motion-capture sequence, the one with the accordion, and Mr, Merde wreaking havoc), and they are just as out there as they're beautiful.

Denis Lavant is undoubtedly a masterful chameleon that shifts from one role to another with a sense of introspection, and the film seems to showcase the best of all his abilities and talents as an actor.

The film is basically hard to sum up, and it's also not fully comprehensible, but it evokes that rare feeling of pleasure and stimulation that sets itself apart from works of other auteurs. Overall, Holy Motors is an introspective film with abundant kookiness, beauty, a sense of melancholy and humor, all in Carax's own eccentric language.

Certainly one of my favs this year.