MovieChat Forums > Holy Motors (2012) Discussion > A Struggle For the Mind

A Struggle For the Mind


Trois, douze, merde! The Holy Motors is a strange movie, even for a surrealist one.

My worst enemy while watching this movie was my mind. For a good part of the movie, I was just wondering what was going on, what just happened and trying to understand, to find links and establish what was the story. Well, there isn't a story in a traditional way.
Most of the time, there was a struggle between rationality and creativity. Some part of me was saying "Just let it go, just enjoy the movie", while in the same time I was telling me "Ok, what's going on there? I don't understand and I have to". And I have to say, when I really just let it go, it was wonderful. The entracte scene with the accordéon was incredible, as were many others (the Beauty and the Beast!) in which I could just go with the flow.
In the end, I enjoyed this movie a lot. I'd certainly watch it again, probably with three or twelve Ricard drinks.

The movie also made me think about Goffman theatre concept. He said that we are continually performing a show and that our character's changing depending of the context and the other people surrounding us. It is the same for "professional" actors, who would also be playing for the director, the audience, etc.
So, when are we truly ourselves? Is it when we are home, in private, with our family? For Oscar, it doesn't seem so. Where is this backstage where we can drop our masks? The answer seems obvious in the movie.

So what do you think? Were you also distracted by yourself when you watched the movie? Did you like it? What's your interpretation?

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I just viewed it so I'm still digesting it in my mind. However, your analysis seems pretty accurate.

Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar, or doesn't.

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You're completely right. Sometimes you need to watch these films just to shake things up a bit. This film certainly does that. It didn't take long for me to realize I was creating a tornado in my head trying to understand what the *beep* was going on. I decided to smoke some pot and just enjoy it. Turned out to be a very enjoyable experience once I let go. Such a unique film and a gift, but you have to just let it happen and quit worrying about the normal movie. This movie isn't normal! It's a lot like an amusement park. Takes you on a journey and it's almost all unexpected. Very refreshing! I haven't seen Tokyo yet but I'd like to. Not for everybody but any film enthusiast should sit down and watch it. It's a totally new experience.

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The movie is for potheads?

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