We’ve been hearing plenty about Leos Carax’s trippy Holy Motors, and yet, we still really don’t know much about what it contains. The film won hearts at Cannes in the spring, then re-emerged during Fantastic Fest in Austin, where it continued to convert fans. The film’s playing in limited release at the moment and is expected to expand. Try the latest trailer on for size and tell me if you can make heads or tails out of what Carax has up his sleeve:
“It’s so weird,” the photographer exclaims, looking at abnormal Parisian Oscar (Denis Lavant). That could summarize Carax’s film in a nutshell. Lavant reportedly plays numerous characters in the film. And yet, despite a stream of critical raves and a slew of mesmerizingly gorgeous visuals, the trailer doesn’t say a whole heck of a lot about the finished product.
And really, that’s fine. Holy Motors appears to be one of those films you simply head to because enough people you trust have told you that it’s awesome and needs to be seen. Carax impressed us with his earliest film, Boy Meets Girl, and he has been experimenting with acting and film for decades. Lavant’s name even has been mentioned in certain awards-tracking conversations as to whether he should get into a very crowded Best Actor race (where he’d likely compete against fellow performers like Joaquin Phoenix and Daniel Day-Lewis).
But first, more people need to see it. If you want to know more about it, our Operation Kino podcast reviewed Holy Motors last week. The independent Indomina Releasing will be rolling it out into more theaters in the coming weeks. If it’s playing near you, give it a try.
