Holy Motors, directed by Leos Carax, is one of the most enigmatic and unconventional films of the 21st century. It defies genre, structure, and traditional narrative form, offering instead a surreal and dreamlike journey through multiple identities, lives, and cinematic genres. With Denis Lavant at the center of this artistic whirlwind, the film explores performance, identity, and the nature of cinema itself.
Detailed Summary
Opening Sequence: The Theater of Dreams
The film opens with a mysterious scene: a man (played by Carax himself) awakens in a room with a wall that resembles a forest. He finds a secret door, enters a movie theater, and peers into the audience. This establishes the film’s meta-cinematic tone, suggesting that the events to follow are both performance and dream.
Monsieur Oscar’s Daily Routine
The central character, Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant), begins his day being picked up by Céline (Édith Scob), his chauffeur, in a stretch white limousine. From here, Oscar embarks on a series of “appointments,” each one involving a transformation into a completely different character.
He becomes:
- A wealthy banker
- A hunched beggar woman on the streets of Paris
- A mo-cap actor performing digital acrobatics
- The grotesque, flower-eating sewer-dweller known as Merde (from Carax’s earlier short)
- A father picking up his teenage daughter from a party
- A dying old man with a grieving niece
- A hitman and his own double
Each role is self-contained, and we’re given little explanation of why these transformations are happening or for whom Oscar is performing. The only throughline is Céline, who transports him from one scene to another, gently reminding him of the time and his next role.
Identity Crisis and Emotional Threads
While many of the segments are bizarre or abstract, some carry deep emotional weight—especially the scene with the dying man and the niece, or Oscar’s conversation with Eva Mendes’s character, where Merde abducts her and dresses her in a burqa. There’s also a haunting musical interlude mid-film (“Entr’acte”) where Oscar and an accordion band perform in a church, reinforcing the film’s tone as a surreal, spiritual, and theatrical experience.
The Kylie Minogue Scene
One of the most poignant moments is when Oscar meets Jean (Kylie Minogue), a fellow performer. They discuss their shared lives of constant transformation. She sings “Who Were We?”, a mournful song about lost love and forgotten selves. Soon after, she steps off a rooftop to her death. It’s a stark reminder of the toll these endless performances might take.
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Movie Ending
After a long day, Oscar returns to the limousine. Céline tells him he has one more appointment, which turns out to be Oscar pretending to be the father of a chimpanzee family. He returns to a suburban home where a chimpanzee “wife” and “daughter” await.
The film concludes with Céline parking the limo in a warehouse where many other limos are being stored. Alone, she dons a mask reminiscent of the one worn in Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face. The final shot is of the limousines themselves—talking to each other. Yes, the cars speak, discussing their fears about obsolescence in the face of evolving technology and diminishing demand for their services.
This ending encapsulates Holy Motors’ core themes: identity as performance, the erosion of meaning in modern life, and the vanishing magic of cinema. The chimps, the talking cars, the mask—it all adds up to a grand, melancholic metaphor about the roles we play, both on-screen and off.
Are There Post-Credits Scenes?
No, there are no post-credits scenes in Holy Motors. The film ends definitively with the limousine scene, and the credits roll with a haunting sense of finality. Given the film’s experimental nature, this is unsurprising—it closes when the dream is over.
Type of Movie
Holy Motors is best described as a surrealist drama, with heavy elements of experimental cinema, science fiction, musical, and arthouse fantasy. It’s less a traditional narrative film and more a cinematic collage—a love letter to performance and transformation.
Cast
- Denis Lavant as Monsieur Oscar (in multiple roles)
- Édith Scob as Céline, the chauffeur
- Kylie Minogue as Jean
- Eva Mendes as Kay M.
- Michel Piccoli (uncredited) as The Man with the Map
Film Music and Composer
The score was composed by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy. Music plays a major role in setting the dreamlike and often dissonant tone. Hannon also wrote Kylie Minogue’s original song “Who Were We?” for the film.
Filming Locations
- Paris, France: The film was shot in real locations across Paris. These include:
- Père Lachaise Cemetery (for the dying uncle scene)
- Le Samaritaine building (abandoned department store)
- Streets and alleys around the Seine and Belleville
- The importance of these locations lies in how they juxtapose the dreamlike scenes with very real, often mundane, urban backdrops—blending fantasy with everyday life.
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Awards and Nominations
- Cannes Film Festival 2012: Competed for the Palme d’Or
- César Awards: Nominated for 9 awards including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Foreign Language Film
- Toronto Film Critics Association: Best Film
Although it didn’t win the Palme d’Or, the film was widely praised and has since become a cult classic.
Behind the Scenes Insights
- Leos Carax hadn’t directed a feature in over a decade before Holy Motors. It was a deeply personal return to cinema.
- Denis Lavant performed all his roles without a double, including intense physical sequences.
- The Merde character originated in Carax’s 2008 short from Tokyo! and was reimagined here.
- Kylie Minogue’s involvement was initially met with skepticism, but she delivered a haunting and understated performance.
Inspirations and References
- Inspired by the Valentino-era concept of the actor as a chameleon, able to take on any role.
- Strong references to Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face—particularly Céline’s mask.
- Echoes of David Lynch, Luis Buñuel, and Federico Fellini permeate the film.
- A homage to the death of cinema as a live, theatrical, analog experience.
Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes
Leos Carax did not reveal any concrete alternate endings. However, earlier drafts included a longer final monologue from Oscar reflecting on his “day of roles.” Some scenes, such as deeper background on Céline and a longer version of the talking limousine dialogue, were trimmed for pacing and abstraction.
Book Adaptations and Differences
Holy Motors is not based on a book but can be seen as a cinematic companion to surrealist literature and the fragmented narratives of authors like Kobo Abe, Samuel Beckett, and Italo Calvino.
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Memorable Scenes and Quotes
Key Scenes
- The motion-capture scene, where Oscar performs a digital ballet that turns into monster sex.
- The musical accordion interlude in a chapel—pure visual and sonic joy.
- The cemetery deathbed scene, surprisingly emotional amid the film’s chaos.
- The final transformation into the chimpanzee family man.
Iconic Quotes
- “What makes you carry on, Oscar?”
- “Beauty! In the eye! Of the beholder!” (Merde)
- “I’m tired of playing along. I want to die for real.”
Easter Eggs and Hidden Details
- Céline’s mask is a direct nod to Eyes Without a Face.
- The theater from the opening scene resembles Max Linder Panorama, one of the oldest cinemas in Paris.
- The names of the appointments are never mentioned, but Oscar reads them on a digital screen—blink and you’ll miss some symbolic references.
- Oscar’s banker character seems to be the same man from Carax’s previous short in Tokyo!.
Trivia
- The film’s budget was modest (~€4 million), despite its complex production.
- Denis Lavant and Leos Carax have been collaborators since Boy Meets Girl (1984).
- Kylie Minogue filmed her rooftop scene in just two days.
- The white stretch limo was custom-built to allow costume changes inside.
Why Watch?
Because Holy Motors is unlike anything you’ve seen. It’s not just a film—it’s a meditation on cinema, identity, and performance. It’s hilarious, tragic, bizarre, and hypnotic all at once. If you’ve ever questioned the role of cinema in a digital age or pondered the existential weight of “playing a role,” this film is essential.
Director’s Other Movies
- Boy Meets Girl (1984)
- Mauvais Sang (1986)
- The Lovers on the Bridge (Les Amants du Pont-Neuf, 1991)
- Pola X (1999)
- Annette (2021)
