> REVIEW
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Holy Motors (2012)
Take a ride…
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By Danila Lipatov | September 2012
DIRECTOR: Léos Carax
WRITER: Léos Carax
After a 13 year absence, the notoriously unorthodox French filmmaker, Léos Carax makes his glorious return with Holy Motors; an epic, surreal journey through the cradle of cinema that pushes the boundaries of imagination and challenges the very notion of art-house cinema.
The film documents 24 hours in the life of actor Oscar (an exceptional Denis Lavant). According to Carax, in the future cinema is completely devoid of cameras, directors and sets. Instead, Oscar’s daily duty is to fulfil a series of strange ‘acting missions’. Before every such task, he carefully studies his character’s mysterious dossier and slips into a whole new personality, regardless of gender, age, social status and even his own wishes (banker, killer, female beggar, middle class father.) The only real life interactions for Oscar are with his devoted chauffeur, Céline (Edith Scob) who drives him through Paris to his preconceived destinations in a gleaming, white stretch limo.
Every frame of Holy Motors radiates Carax’s boundless love for cinema. It’s well documented the cult director languished in development hell for several years as he battled against constant financing and casting troubles, and with Holy Motors he makes up for lost time, weaving a collection of eclectic stories into one, grand futuristic odyssey.
Holy Motors also recalls the director’s back-catalogue as he borrows the character of ‘Merde’ from his contribution to Tokyo!, while he also places the old beggar woman in the same spot at the Pont Neuf previously celebrated in Les Amants du Pont-Neuf.
Yet, compared to his last feature, 1999′s Pola X, Carax’s latest offering is much more playful and open to its audience. Despite the lack of a traditional narrative structure, it’s hard not to be seduced by Carax’s daring vision with Holy Motors, a film of grandiose attractions, fuelled by an inexhaustible number of fantastic thrills.
With exquisite visuals, unrestricted storytelling and inspired casting (Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue, Michel Piccoli) Carax strives to argue that in a time where many independent films still inevitably adhere to a framework dictated by festivals and critics, he can prove that the magic of cinema is still within reach.
Holy Motors’ invisible mastery also manifests itself through its skilfully crafted play on genre. Every new mission and identity represents a different genre and requires a completely unique technical approach that causes a subtle change in direction, acting and lighting.
And yet, the film’s biggest accomplishment is how Carax manages to balance the sparkling visuals while simultaneously delivering his highly pessimistic diagnosis on society. As the journey progresses we soon discover the people for whom Oscar so admirably performs are also actors playing their own roles.
But even with his cynical critique of the media and all-absorbing virtuality of human existence, Carax still displays a tender attitude towards his “man without qualities”. Which is why it’s highly possible that with the ‘holy motors’ that govern our existence, Carax is simply referring to people and their everyday interactions. The nature of mankind may indeed be false at its core, spending days acting and trying on new identities, but in the end it’s only other people who can validate and help us make it through the day. Perhaps it’s this that best defines Carax’s post-modern take on spirituality.
Script…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Carax’s narrative is a spellbinding cinematic Frankenstein made out of his
multiple unfinished projects, each worthy of a feature film. 5
Direction………………………………………………………………………………………..
Carax’s sublime direction ravishes the mind with uninhibited independence
and supreme cinematic energy. 5
Verdict…………………………………………………………………………………………..
An exhilarating, tender examination of the human condition. 5
