Holy Motors (2012 111min.) [Film4 11.50pm &+1]
Freeview premiere
Drama starring Denis Lavant. A day in the life of a mysterious man who is chauffeured around Paris in a limousine assuming a variety of disguises including an old bag lady and the flower-chomping Monsieur Merde who crashes a photo shoot at a cemetery.
This is not going to be to everyones taste. Director Leos Carax specialises in making films that constantly teeter on the edge of falling apart ; his style is languid, he isn't afraid of shocking or offending the viewer, he prefers inter-connected sketches to what we would normally consider a narrative and he is firmly rooted in the French nouvelle vague/arthouse tradition where meaning is often obscured under several levels of image.
If you're still thinking 'that sounds interesting' then Holy Motors should work for you - otherwise avoid it as you'll only get angry.
Holy Motors has a story (of sorts) it revolves around a day in the life of Denis Lavant's character who travels around Paris in a swish limousine adopting a different persona each time the car stops and he interacts with a different person (or group of people).
Along the way he meets Edith Scob, who (sort of) reprises her role from the classic 1962 French horror film Eyes Without A Face; Kylie, who sings a brilliant Neil Hannon song and a near unrecognisable Eva Mendes.
It's messy, self-indulgent and deeply arty - but it's visually stunning and the performances are terrific. If you sit back and allow yourself to go along on Carax and Lavant's journey you may find yourself surprised at just how much you enjoy this distinctly odd work.
No comments:
Post a Comment