Opening: Holy Motors
by Pamela Zoslov
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French director Léos Carax's film follows a day in the working life of Monsieur Oscar (Dennis Lavant), who’s driven around in a white stretch limo by Céline (Edith Scob) to meet a schedule of “appointments,” really little genre dramas, each requiring Oscar to change into elaborate makeup and costumes. Throughout the day, Oscar, introduced as a successful business mogul, portrays an old beggar man, a futuristic ninja warrior, the father of a disobedient daughter, an assassin assigned to kill his doppelgänger, a grotesque gnome who kidnaps a supermodel (Eva Mendes), and a thwarted lover. The film is billed as “a love letter to the cinema,” traversing various movie genres as it posits a future in which actors play roles for unseen viewers, recorded by hidden cameras (not very unlike reality TV). The cinematography is impressive, and the script contains flashes of wit (the talking limousines are especially cute); yet the film's hollow stylization and torpid pace make it a tedious experience. Cedar Lee Theatre.
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