Those who like their movies with uniqueness infused into their very bones will find one to cherish and champion in Holy Motors. A wonderfully baffling whirlwind of crazy and original, sometimes maddening, ideas and the strangest film of the year by a country mile.
Directed by Leos Carax, the film follows Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant), a mysterious man whose apparent job is to ride around in a white limo all day, attending various different “appointments” which he prepares for by applying make-up and prosthetics from the studio inside the limo. We follow him over the course of a day as he not so much puts on the disguises but steps into the personas at hand.
This is a film quite unlike any other, a work of absorbing and intriguing unreality, transportive to the point of blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s an act. In true meta fashion it simultaneously gives us segmented dramas to get wrapped up in as the various different personas take precedent and commenting on the very idea of it all being just a fiction. Acting is, essentially, lying and Oscar assumes these personas one at a time to do exactly that. It’s a true testament to the films twisted power that each sequence is so powerful or compelling or just plain weird that it’s wholly convincing in the moment.
Levant should justly get an Oscar nomination for his chameleon-like performances as the shadowy leading figure, transforming himself many times throughout and so convincing at it that you’d be forgiven in thinking it was several different actors. It’s more than just a hair and make-up performance (though that certainly helps) but rather one of complete inhabitation. Levant takes centre stage, being the glue that holds the whole thing together, but there’s a plethora of appropriately odd and memorable supporting performances, adding to that feeling of being unsure what you’re watching is genuine. A couple of surprising inclusions add to the weirdness of it all, with Eva Mendes as a passive model and a French-speaking Kylie Monogue.
The film is bursting at the seams with ingenuity and ambitious ideas, most of which provide an intellectually nourishing and engaging experience but on occasion it does go a little too far, straying into the dreaded “weird for weird’s sake” territory. However, a few bumps along an otherwise brilliantly bizarre road doesn’t really matter. Arresting imagery and a lyrical pace help to make up for any issues.
Sure to be one of the most creative cinematic offerings of the year, Holy Motors is one of those “you have to see it to believe it sort of films,” and even then its confounding mix of bizarre ideas, dark humour, quirkiness and sheer boldness is bound to leave even the most seasoned of cinema lovers bewildered. But this confusion setting in is the ultimate blessing of this starkly original film – take it at face value or make of it what you will, either way it’s nothing short of fascinating and bonkers in the best possible way.
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