Denis Lavant Mesmerizes in Dream-Like ‘Holy Motors’

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Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Leos Carax’s “Holy Motors,” the winner of the Gold Hugo at 2012’s Chicago International Film Festival, opens with the director himself climbing out of bed, opening a door in the side of his bedroom, and entering a packed movie theater. It’s a surreal, dreamlike moment and it sets the tone for a film that challenges not only perception of reality but the purpose of cinema.

“Holy Motors” is an experimental film about a man who takes on various roles throughout society over the course of a day, not unlike the way the movie industry presents us with new characters and new personalities in a constant stream. That person you pass every day on the corner begging for food – what do you know about them? Are the emotions of a dying man less pure if we see the “actor” taking on that role before delivering them? “Holy Motors” is a stunning exploration of identity in both society and filmmaking that features one of the best performances of the year by some stretch.

Holy Motors
Photo credit: Vendini

That performance comes courtesy of Denis Lavant, a unique-looking gentleman who can somehow be believable as a near-Hobbit who comes out of the ground to attack people and a captain of industry. In “Holy Motors,” Lavant takes on multiple roles and nails every one of them, finding such a unique range of emotion and personality. On one hand, it’s the kind of role that actors dream of in the way it gives them so many tools with which to play. But it also could have been a complete disaster as it could easily have revealed a lesser actor’s limited range.

Lavant plays Oscar, a man who rides around Paris in the back of a limousine and receives assignments from his driver/handler Celine (Edith Scob). He first seems like an average businessman, saying goodbye to his family, sitting in the back of his limo, and reading through a folder of the work he’ll have to do that day. Then he opens up a cabinet in the unnaturally gigantic vehicle and begins to put on makeup. He transforms himself into a homeless woman, begging for change on the street. That’s assignment number one. Other assignments will include such an array of personalities that it’s hard to capture in a review. There’s the creature who kidnaps a beautiful model (Eva Mendes). There’s the dying man spending a final, confessional moment with a loved one. There’s even a musical number with Kylie Minogue. It’s mesmerizing at every turn in that one never knows where Carax, Lavant, and the identity limo will go next.

Holy Motors
Photo credit: Vendini

The first hour of “Holy Motors” is an undeniable delight. The film has such energy, vitality, and unique purpose that it’s impossible to take your eyes away from it. Carax gets a bit melancholy in the second hour and I’ll admit that the depressing angle the film takes pushed me away from it a bit. Lavant does a spectacular job of conveying the increasing sadness of a man who seems to have no personality of his own and the world weariness that he carries on his shoulders is palpable but the film borders on melodrama when the lovely Minogue is singing about better times long gone. I liked the playful “Holy Motors” much more than the emotional one although I must admit that the sadness of the final act does linger with me more than I expected. I find myself thinking about “Holy Motors” way more than the few dozen films I’ve seen since then.

One of the reasons for that is the striking, amazing performance from Lavant. We often call actors chameleonic and yet rarely has a performer been given the chance to prove it in one film. Carax (who has worked with Lavant before) knew he was a physically adept actor but it’s the emotional core of this character that’s most remarkable. It’s an absolutely fearless performance physically but what lingers with me are the quiet moments on a deathbed or in the disappointment of a father or the longing of a past acquaintance. I adore Lavant’s work here. It’s one of the best performances of the year in a film that will linger with you like a remarkable dream.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com