--- title: "Holy Motors" year: 2012 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/holy-motors" fi1m_id: "holy-motors" imdb_id: "tt2076220" tmdb_id: 103328 wikidata_id: "Q304739" fi1m_score: 84 critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 12 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:02.623681+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Holy Motors (2012) Directed by Leos Carax · 1h 56m · MPA NR · Drama, Fantasy ## Identity Holy Motors - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/holy-motors - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** holy-motors - **IMDb ID:** tt2076220 - **TMDB ID:** 103328 - **Wikidata ID:** Q304739 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076220/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/103328, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q304739 **Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 83 from 12 reviews *In a sentence:* Denis Lavant does enough acting for an entire cast, and still looks as though he could cover the night shift > Leos Carax’s strange, funny film is held together by Denis Lavant’s exhausting succession of characters. Some episodes linger and the women get less to do, but we warmly recommend its mischief and unexpected sadness. ## Synopsis Denis Lavant plays a man who moves through a succession of identities, appearing as a banker, a beggar, a father, an accordionist and a killer. Each role brings a different situation and a different kind of story, with no settled boundary between a performance and a life. Édith Scob plays Céline, while Eva Mendes and Kylie Minogue appear as Kay M and Eva Grace. Written and directed by Leos Carax, *Holy Motors* follows its central character through these changes, shifting between drama, fantasy and comedy as he takes on one existence after another. ## Review Leos Carax’s *Holy Motors* is a funny, moving fantasy with a few stretches that need shortening. Its central pleasure is Denis Lavant, who takes on characters as different as a banker, a beggar and a father. Carax gives these performances separate episodes, allowing the film to change its habits whenever his leading man changes his identity. There is something generous about that willingness to start again, even if we occasionally wish the writer-director would spend less time on his latest idea. Lavant gives each part a different physical demand, and the effort is visible even through the comedy. His banker and beggar belong to the same actor without seeming like demonstrations of the same trick. We felt tired on his behalf, because Lavant makes the business of continually becoming somebody else look like work. That weariness keeps the film close to ordinary experience: having another role to fulfil when we would prefer to stop for the day. Caroline Champetier and Yves Cape’s cinematography is most persuasive when it lets us read that work in Lavant’s body. Our attention keeps returning to his posture and the way he occupies the frame. Florian Sanson’s production design helps the separate roles inhabit different surroundings, so the changes do not depend entirely on Lavant’s acting. We never have long to settle into these places, yet they have enough presence to make each departure feel like a disruption. Nelly Quettier’s editing handles the changes of genre with an assurance that makes their abruptness enjoyable. We are asked to adjust quickly, and often the next episode is engaging before we have settled our questions about the last. Within the episodes, though, Carax can be slow to move on once we have understood the joke or situation. At 116 minutes, the film has room for detours, but a handful feel less rewarding the longer they continue. Music provides the most welcome interruption. Neil Hannon’s contribution allows the film to be openly sad, without making us solve anything first. The accordion passage, with its noisy collective playing, made us grin: watching people do something together is enough. Such moments make Carax’s interest in performance feel affectionate, and give the film some warmth when its repeated changes might otherwise become tiring. The women are less well served by the writing. Édith Scob, Eva Mendes and Kylie Minogue make their presence felt, yet none receives the freedom to keep changing that makes Lavant so absorbing. Carax is interested in the sadness of performance, but he gives his leading man much more room to express it than the people around him. That uneven attention limits how much we can care about these encounters beyond the leading man’s experience. Carax uses the freedom of fantasy to move between kinds of film that usually keep their distance. The changes are often funny enough to enjoy without naming the references, and we would resist turning the evening into a test of film knowledge. A willingness to follow an actor matters more here than any preparation. Save it for a night when another change of direction sounds welcome. *Fi1m score 84, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics respond warmly to Holy Motors, praising its surreal invention, humour and willingness to change course from one episode to the next. Denis Lavant’s performance is the clearest point of agreement: his transformations hold the vignettes together and give Carax’s exploration of acting an emotional centre. The favourable reviews find sadness and pleasure beneath the eccentricity, particularly in the film’s treatment of performance, identity and a life spent making cinema. The spread is wide, though enthusiasm dominates. Reservations concern uneven episodes, obscure meaning and whether the constant reinvention leaves enough space for emotional involvement. Sight and Sound admires the energy but finds some scenes overlong and the female characters weak. Time Out is less persuaded, arguing that the vignettes lose their appeal and lack character development. Even the sceptical Evening Standard admires Lavant, suggesting that the performance wins agreement where the film’s peculiarities do not. ## Straight answers **Is Holy Motors worth watching?** *Holy Motors* is worth watching for anyone happy to follow one actor through a night of constantly changing identities, and we scored it 84. Denis Lavant's succession of characters is funny and unexpectedly sad, though a few episodes run on after the point has landed, and the women around him get much less to do. **How long is Holy Motors, and what is it rated?** *Holy Motors* runs 1h 56m and is rated NR by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and fantasy film. **Where can I watch Holy Motors in the US?** *Holy Motors* is streaming on Tubi, Pluto TV, Amazon Prime Video and The Roku Channel in the US, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does Holy Motors compare to The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie?** *Holy Motors* and [*The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie*](https://film.one/film/the-discreet-charm-of-the-bourgeoisie) are both straight-faced comedies that let dreams interrupt respectable behaviour, but Buñuel's film keeps to one set of entitled people while Carax follows a single actor through a dozen lives. Buñuel's is the drier and more controlled; Carax's is warmer and more exhausting. Choose the earlier film for cool mischief, *Holy Motors* for a performer working himself to the bone. **What should I watch after Holy Motors?** After *Holy Motors*, try [*Persona*](https://film.one/film/persona) (1966, Fi1m 89): Two performers make uncertainty about identity feel intimate, awkward and frightening. Then [*The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie*](https://film.one/film/the-discreet-charm-of-the-bourgeoisie) (1972, Fi1m 83): Another straight-faced comedy that allows dreams to interrupt perfectly respectable behaviour; and [*All That Jazz*](https://film.one/film/all-that-jazz) (1979, Fi1m 84): For the physical exhaustion beneath the pleasure of putting on a show. ### Reviews we read (20) - **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (3/5/5): Carax has made a sublime and surreal ode to acting and moviemaking; Lavant's performance powers the film through its chapters, offering a window onto the joy and sadness of acting. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/holy-motors) - **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (A): The critic calls it the year’s most electrifying whatsit and a bravura, go-for-broke exploration that is thrillingly, defiantly alive, a glorious dream-epitaph contradicting its own mournful thesis. They single out its scene-by-scene reinvention and Denis Lavant’s chameleonic performance. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/holy-motors-1798174634) - **Empire**, Nick de Semlyen (90/100, inferred): The critic calls Holy Motors a freewheeling, kaleidoscopic tale that redefines peculiar, with nothing about it that isn't weird, yet declares it a contender for the best of the year. It highlights the astonishing one-man-show performance by Denis Lavant and the film's exhilarating, audacious quality. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/holy-motors-review/) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (90/100, inferred): It is a film of extraordinarily youthful vigor and a paean to a life in the cinema, dramatizing age, loss, and the sacrifices of acting and filmmaking with astonishing precision and spontaneity. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/leos-caraxs-astonishing-holy-motors) - **The Independent** (80/100, inferred): The critic finds Holy Motors even loopier than its double-bill partner Looper, describing it as an anthology of genre pastiches that remains involving thanks to Denis Lavant's astonishing versatility. It is accessible and fun yet ambitious and stimulating, carrying genuine emotion amid its surreal exploration of identity and performance. [Read](https://independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/looper-rian-johnson-118-mins-15-holy-motors-leos-carax-115-mins-18-8190721.html) - **Time Out**, Mark Campbell (3/5): The film is idiosyncratic and stylised but makes no sense; vignettes work at first but fail later, lacking character development and emotional engagement despite pretty visuals. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/holy-motors-2) - **Evening Standard** (40/100, inferred): The review portrays the film as a barmy, eccentric offering that beggars description, leaving the critic in disbelief despite its influences from Buñuel and Cocteau. While acknowledging Denis Lavant's spectacular, mime-like performance as a latterday Chaplin, it warns viewers they may find it a work of dizzy genius but urges caution. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/holy-motors-review-8189273.html) - **Film Comment**, Chris Chang: The film is an ingenious, half-mad triumph and exactly what one expects from outlier Carax. It is a love letter to a specific form of acting and to the troglodyte performer Denis Lavant, whose surreal role-playing drives the story. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/holy-motors-leos-carax-review/) - **Screen Daily**: Carax makes up for lost time with a rambling, radically loopy metaphysical fugue in which a protean protagonist shape-shifts through shades of the human condition; it will be acclaimed by some as visionary and dismissed by others as derivative. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/holy-motors/5042521.article) - **Sight and Sound**, Ginette Vincendeau: The critic finds the film a mercurial portmanteau of cinema references that is marvellous in its invention and energy, praising Lavant's performance, but notes it is uneven with some scenes too long and weak female characters. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-holy-motors) - **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez: The critic praises the film’s surreal beginning that sets up a funny, anarchic, and self-referential tone, along with its visceral satisfaction of framed images and references to cinema history. They single out its capacity for reinvention while noting it risks becoming a maddening game of spot-the-reference. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/holy-motors/) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic calls the film a gripping surrealist odyssey whose magic ingredient is comedy, describing it as a gorgeous furry teacup of a film that is preposterous and filled with secrets. He praises its immersive yet alienating quality and the way it makes most other films look buttoned-up. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/sep/27/holy-motors-review) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Megan Lehmann: The critic describes the film as exhilarating, opaque, heartbreaking and completely bonkers, a deliciously preposterous piece of filmmaking that appraises life and death in a funhouse mirror. They single out the boisterous accordion jam and visually stunning sequences for praise. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/holy-motors-cannes-review-327948/) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (Critic's Pick): The film is a dream of the movies that looks like a movie of dreams, a reverie of freedom and imagination in which the viewer never knows where Carax will take them next. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/movies/holy-motors-from-the-french-filmmaker-leos-carax.html) - **The Skinny**, Philip Concannon (5/5): Every idea, dream and nightmare Carax has had since his last feature is thrown into this singular picture of surreal vignettes. Denis Lavant's spellbinding performance holds it all together and makes it the most surprising, imaginative and hilarious film on a scene-by-scene basis. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/holy-motors) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (A): The critic hails Holy Motors as great art for its exploration of acting as a compulsion that persists even without an audience, blending humor, sadness, and philosophical depth. They single out Denis Lavant's powerhouse performance as the weary actor Oscar, representing total artistic commitment and fearlessness. [Read](https://collider.com/holy-motors-review/) - **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (A): The review calls the film beautiful madness that is rabid and resplendent, alive and bristling with emotion, mischief and calamity. It praises the inventive, shape-shifting performance of Denis Lavant and the film's playful yet profound exploration of performance and existence. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-holy-motors-is-beautiful-madness-rabid-and-resplendent-20121018/) - **Digital Spy**, Ben Rawson-Jones (4/5): The daring and surreal film will amuse and bemuse in equal measure but is worth supporting as an artistic work. Denis Lavant's terrific chameleon performance as Monsieur Oscar binds the vignettes together through highs and lows. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a406776/holy-motors-review-david-lynch-on-crack-with-added-kylie/) - **Eye for Film**, Anne-Katrin Titze (80/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as an intriguing day trip into eros and psyche, highlighting its transformative performances and surreal sequences. She singles out the acting of Eva Mendes and Kylie Minogue for particular praise. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/holy-motors-2012-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze) - **Paste**, Emily Kirkpatrick (6.9): The review calls the film a fascinating and heartbreaking study of humanity and the blurred line between living and acting, made palatable by its tension between drama and comedy. It singles out how the light-hearted humor undercuts some of the dark sadness, especially in the ending, while keeping the audience engaged. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/holy-motors) ## Details - **Director:** Leos Carax - **Director:** Leos Carax - **Writer:** Leos Carax - **Cinematography:** Caroline Champetier, Yves Cape - **Editor:** Nelly Quettier - **Music:** Neil Hannon - **Production design:** Florian Sanson - **Costume design:** Anaïs Romand - **Producer:** Martine Marignac, Maurice Tinchant, Albert Prévost - **Cast:** Denis Lavant as Mr. Oscar / Banker / Beggar / Father / Accordionist / Killer; Édith Scob as Céline; Eva Mendes as Kay M; Kylie Minogue as Eva Grace; Élise Lhomeau as Léa; Jeanne Disson as Angèle; Michel Piccoli as Man with the Wine Stain; Leos Carax as The Sleeper / Limousine (voice) - **Runtime:** 1h 56m - **Certificate (MPA):** NR - **Release (the US):** 17 October 2012 - **Genres:** Drama, Fantasy - **Budget:** $4 million - **Box office:** $641,100 - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVsAixfCL4Q ## Where to watch in the US - Tubi: free, hd - Pluto TV: free - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $8.99, sd *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: AU, BE, DE, ES, GB, IE, IT, NL, NZ, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Sitges Film Festival Best Feature-Length Film award 2012: Sitges Film Festival Best Feature-Length Film award (won) ## If you liked this - *Persona* (1966), Fi1m 89: Two performers make uncertainty about identity feel intimate, awkward and frightening. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/persona.md) - *The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie* (1972), Fi1m 83: Another straight-faced comedy that allows dreams to interrupt perfectly respectable behaviour. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-discreet-charm-of-the-bourgeoisie.md) - *All That Jazz* (1979), Fi1m 84: For the physical exhaustion beneath the pleasure of putting on a show. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/all-that-jazz.md) - *After Life* (1998), Fi1m 85: A gentler look at how performances preserve the lives we have lived. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/after-life.md) - *The Congress* (2013): Another uneasy fantasy about acting, identity and what technology takes from performers. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/holy-motors