Review of Holy Motors (2012) by Artfully Bedraggled F — 01 Nov 2012

Pola X is, with good reason, one hell of a controversial piece of filmmaking, but itâ(TM)s also one of those pieces of work that you should really try to see at least once in your life. Itâ(TM)s the 1999 work of experimental, boundary-pushing French director Leos Carax who, since then, had not directed a feature film (he made one of the three segments seen in Tokyo! in 2008, though). Well, weâ(TM)ve now finally gotten a new film thatâ(TM)s all from him, the brilliant Holy Motors which premiered at Cannes earlier this year and definitely stands as one of the best films of 2012.

Itâ(TM)s, unsurprisingly, a strange movie that we get from Mr. Carax here. The main character is Monsieur Oscar, played by Denis Lavant, the directorâ(TM)s frequent collaborator and the man the role was specifically written for, and I would normally try to detail the plot of the movie or try and get you to somewhat understand what film to expect here, but this defies any kind of explanation or expectation. It deals up a narrative thatâ(TM)s so mysterious and weird and screwed up and intentionally challenging to really follow and it makes it all work like gangbusters because of Mr. Carax who will just have you drooling over the visual stuff he offers up and because the story will always remain absolutely compelling, even if youâ(TM)re not understanding it all that well.

Holy Motors is the reason why you go to the movies in the first place, you go to see stuff thatâ(TM)s rare and original, to see something beautiful and crazy like this right here, a film thatâ(TM)s about films, about love, about the human condition. I loved the hell out of this film, but if you told me you absolutely couldnâ(TM)t stand it then I would understand that quite easily; this is the kind of film that if it hasnâ(TM)t gotten you after 10 minutes then you wonâ(TM)t like it. It got me, it got me fast and it never let go, so Iâ(TM)m feeling very positive about it, but even if youâ(TM)re not, even if you hated this film, you still have to admit you havenâ(TM)t seen anything quite like this before.

I donâ(TM)t really know exactly where to begin here because thereâ(TM)s just so much to say, because this film defies classification and because itâ(TM)s such a massive and expansive visionary work. There were times when it literally took my breath away, I guess thatâ(TM)s a good place to begin, and it really got me thinking about the power of movies. Sometimes people ask you what film of a specific year would you save if all others were to be burned or something like that, a question thatâ(TM)s totally different than whatâ(TM)s your own personal favorite. Last year that film for me was The Tree of Life, which was 6th on my actual year-best list, this year Iâ(TM)m pretty sure itâ(TM)ll be Holy Motors.

I honestly hope thatâ(TM)s enough from me to at least get you interested to check out this film, because if you want me to explain what the hell itâ(TM)s about then you wonâ(TM)t get much. At parts itâ(TM)s melodramatic, then you get sci-fi stuff followed by a musically charged romance and then it morphs into an action film. You honestly get all of that here, and it somehow blends perfectly and works tremendously. I havenâ(TM)t seen a film that so gorgeously messed with my brain probably since Mulholland Drive, and thatâ(TM)s the biggest compliment I can give this film.

Another reason why I donâ(TM)t want to get into specifics about the thrilling ride that is Holy Motors, other than the fact that I wouldnâ(TM)t really know how to explain it all, is that what makes this movie so good and so fun is just that: you never know whatâ(TM)s coming your way next. Plus, what this film is âaboutâ?, I think, is actually besides the point. Itâ(TM)s a film that you just have to experience, to see the weirdness and get into the visual gorgeousness and the emotions that come with it and trying to discover your own answer to the riddle that is this movie.

Monsieur Oscar is an amazing creation, this weird man who we follow for a day and we see him transform from one character to another, jumping from one ârealityâ? to another, if you will, seamlessly, and if these different episodes or scenes heâ(TM)s in donâ(TM)t have much narrative connective tissue between them thatâ(TM)s totally by design, they relate to each other by more abstract elements. Denis Lavant is amazing at playing this character thatâ(TM)s playing a dozen characters in so many wildly different events, itâ(TM)s like ten mini-movies all into one. Eva Mendesalso appears here as a supermodel and Kylie Minogue pops up for an awesome musical number. You see? How could you anticipate that, itâ(TM)s all too awesome.

Iâ(TM)m so spellbound by this experience. We obviously have auteurs nowadays doing some amazing things with their films and doing them by their own set of rules, but what Mr. Carax does here makes some of them look like totally commercial directors. Heâ(TM)s just let loose in Paris and heâ(TM)ll grab you by the throat and start taking you places, places that you wonâ(TM)t be able to anticipate and places that will leave you enthralled or a bit indifferent towards them. The thing is, heâ(TM)s always taking you to new places, showing you new things that have a defined mood and visual style and are the work of a true artist. As a film lover you canâ(TM)t ask for much more.

This is what cinema is all about. Itâ(TM)s strange, itâ(TM)s gorgeous, itâ(TM)s hypnotic, itâ(TM)s alive, itâ(TM)s defiant, itâ(TM)s a dream. This film is one that reinvents itself as itâ(TM)s going, that even if it doesnâ(TM)t have a definable narrative structure still feels as a whole, tied together by a mood and the emotions it elicits, that has these visually entrancing scenes and that will no doubt stand as one of the yearâ(TM)s very best movies when itâ(TM)s all said and done. I know Mr. Carax switched from film to digital in order to stay within budget he had for this (something he hated to have to do) and I know this is a man thatâ(TM)s only made a handful of films in a career thatâ(TM)s spanned almost three decades, but with Holy Motors, just because of the sheer imagination on display, I canâ(TM)t help but feel like he just took a great step to keep cinema, the true art form as a means to express oneself, so beautifully alive.