https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gGLmv4DfNg
In this short summary, and even briefer analysis, of Holy Motors (2012), director Brian Trenchard-Smith gives some thoughts on the highly codified meaning of Leos Carax’s film. Though he does not delve as deeply into the hidden messages of the film as other video analyses I watched, I still like this one because it comes from a source close to the medium of film art. Though Trenchard-Smith himself says that he could be completely wrong about his deconstruction of the enigmatic film, I feel that he is generally correct, whereas some of the other breakdowns felt more far-fetched, or at least less plausible (but that is just my personal opinion).
Trenchard-Smith discusses how Holy Motors is in part about how today, in the digital age, where cinema has fallen behind as a form of media consumption, the entire world has become “a reality TV show.” Though I might not have phrased it this way, I generally agree with this point. Mr. Oscar’s entire career appears to be going around and acting in different roles, but there are no cameras present like in a traditional acting role, so he is not acting for a camera, he is acting for the world. One playful nod to this idea I noticed came with the gravestones that Mr. Oscar’s sewer-leprechaun passes by as he munches on flowers. Each had “Visit my website” written on them, rather than the traditional inscriptions associated with gravestones, suggesting how in the eyes of the filmmakers, digital life and media has consumed the world, even in death. A second point made by Trenchard-Smith is that Holy Motors displays the difficult life of an actor, specifically, “the psychological toll… that a life of creating illusion exacts.” Though I can not say I have much insight into this (my experience with actors is less than limited) I can say that as a film student and even as a film fan, in the past few years it has become evident to me that serious acting is deeply impactful on an individual’s mental state. Perhaps the most famous example that comes to mind is the tragic death of Heath Ledger after his exceptional portrayal of the Joker. However, another example that is even closer to this film is the death of Carax’s wife Yekaterina Nikolaevna Golubeva, who committed suicide a year before this film was released. Golubeva was also an actress who spent much of her life fabricating torment for the screen. What Trenchard-Smith suggests in this video, which I agree with, is that for an actor sometimes it becomes difficult to separate their true identity from a story they are telling for the camera, and that can be tremendously difficult.
Holy Motors is a film that took some thinking for me to appreciate. When the credits rolled I was perplexed and discontent, but as the contents of the film and their meaning began to ruminate in my head I started to like what I had just seen, which surprised me. It is a film I could undoubtedly watch one or two more times and still be confused and amazed. There is no lack of interesting things to talk about in this film, from the unorthodox storytelling, to the cinematography, to the meaning of talking limos and a chimpanzee family. What did you think? Do you agree with Trenchard-Smith? What did you feel Carax was trying to communicate? What aspects of the film caught your attention?
After my watch, I could not help but think that Carax is trying to deliver the idea of absurdism throughout the film. At first, I was not sure about the persona and identity of Oscar, but after the first few scenes, I realized that he was an actor. The absurdism in the film lies in the seemingly random and disconnected nature of these performances, creating a sense of unpredictability and surrealism. A lot of scenes do not make sense, like Oscar suddenly turning into an old beggar on the streets, or how he bit a lady’s finger off. However, what if the absurdity and chaos are exactly what the film is trying to convey. The movie draws a lot of parallels to real life. Life in itself is meaningless and absurd; it does not make sense. Like Oscar, we may be changing our identities constantly without even knowing. In the world of “Holy Motors,” reality is subjective, and the film invites audiences to question the nature of identity, performance, and the absurdity of the human experience. The lack of a clear narrative or linear plot contributes to the overall sense of absurdity, as viewers are taken on a journey that defies traditional storytelling conventions.