The Movie: A mysterious man by the name of Mr. Oscar travels around Paris in a limousine, heading from one unusual appointment to another. He dons a motion capture suit and simulates sex with a woman in a strange factory; dressed as a vagrant, he kidnaps a model from a photo shoot in a cemetery. After several more appointments he finally heads home to his family, who turn out to be chimpanzees. What Makes It Original: Whereas Spike Jonze's Adaptation explored the nature of the writing process through a meta-narrative, Holy Motors attempts to dissect the nature of performance as it follows Mr. Oscar (Denis Lavant) from one appointment to the next. Fictional roles merge with "real" ones, and the entire affair is shot through with a surreal edge which confounds as much as it amazes. Attempting to decode the puzzle is perhaps missing the point - Holy Motors works best experienced on a visceral and emotional level, whereas trying to truly understand what you're watching will only leave your head hurting.
