If one were to reduce this movie to a plot-line and judge it purely on its surface elements, it's about an actor Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant) whose driven around Paris in a white limousine by Céline (Edith Scob) where he prepares for each role and basically shows up at random places and employs his next character. It's very David Lynch, but it's also accessible (closer to Blue Velvet and further away from his later films) in that oftentimes there is little explanation for motivation, but a great deal begins to make sense as the film plugs along. With its esoteric nature, this tale speaks to larger universal themes about love, morality, and life. And, while I can't exactly articulate what was happening all the time, my instincts certainly knew what I was feeling. Carax says a great deal about the human condition and he does so in a way that is fresh and exhilarating. With Caroline Champetier's cinematography, Anaïs Romand's costume design, and Florian Sanson's production design, among others, the technicals are simply engrossing. Did you enjoy the trailer? Well, then, quite simply, you are going to LOVE the film. You can ream me later if you don't. The spoiler summary has a few minor revelation that are nice surprises if you go into the film blind. 
Movie Spoiler Summary
After Holy Motors' opening credits, Carax’ camera observes an audience watching a black and white movie. A blond man wearing glasses and PJ’s (possibly director Carax as Le dormeur) wakes up in a room that may be near an airport. He feels around the walls and finds a portal to another world, with his dog in tow. While there are sounds of seagulls, he walks onto a balcony overlooking the moviegoers. A dark beast of some sort that, on first glance looks like some sleek breed of Mastiff, but is something entirely different, perhaps not even canine, languidly moves down the aisle towards the screen.
Le banquier
Daylight, a young girl or la petite fille (Nastya Golubeva Carax) looks out a window from a modern designed home. Her father is leaving. While he may be playing the role of parent, he is, at the very least, the protagonist of the movie who goes by the name of Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant) when he’s not in character. Céline (Edith Scob), his driver, picks him up for his next assignment. Oscar’s job is to play an assortment of characters around Paris, and Céline drives him to every gig in a white limousine. On the way to each assignment, Oscar prepares for each role by changing his hair, makeup, and wardrobe, assuming a completely different identity with their own name and personality each time. Everyone plays along. Over the phone, as the character he last played, Le banquier or banker, he and Serge discuss business, as well as stepping up security and that night’s meeting at Fouquet’s.
After Holy Motors' opening credits, Carax’ camera observes an audience watching a black and white movie. A blond man wearing glasses and PJ’s (possibly director Carax as Le dormeur) wakes up in a room that may be near an airport. He feels around the walls and finds a portal to another world, with his dog in tow. While there are sounds of seagulls, he walks onto a balcony overlooking the moviegoers. A dark beast of some sort that, on first glance looks like some sleek breed of Mastiff, but is something entirely different, perhaps not even canine, languidly moves down the aisle towards the screen.
Daylight, a young girl or la petite fille (Nastya Golubeva Carax) looks out a window from a modern designed home. Her father is leaving. While he may be playing the role of parent, he is, at the very least, the protagonist of the movie who goes by the name of Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant) when he’s not in character. Céline (Edith Scob), his driver, picks him up for his next assignment. Oscar’s job is to play an assortment of characters around Paris, and Céline drives him to every gig in a white limousine. On the way to each assignment, Oscar prepares for each role by changing his hair, makeup, and wardrobe, assuming a completely different identity with their own name and personality each time. Everyone plays along. Over the phone, as the character he last played, Le banquier or banker, he and Serge discuss business, as well as stepping up security and that night’s meeting at Fouquet’s.
Oscar combs through a wig. They arrive in Paris and pull alongside la Seine by another car. He steps out as La mendiante or the beggar, a decrepit old (wo)man who uses a cane and has a gait suggesting an unfortunate physical disposition. S/he stands on the street seeking alms, while her/his mind goes over an inner monologue.
L’OS de Motion-Capture
M. Merde (the segment with Eva Mendes)
In the limo, Oscar reads up on assignment #3: M. Merde, who is the red-headed freak dressed in green with the glassy eye that you may or may not recall from the trailer. He applies spirit gum on his face to attach his facial hair and when he’s fully costumed, he sits with a meal before him while watching the monitor showing passing footage of the outside. Céline notifies him that they are running late. Oscar yearns for a previous job which took place in a forest. Ready for showtime, he steps out of the limo barefoot and climbs down a manhole and navigates his way through the Parisian sewer system, which is populated by many others. There’s a panoramic shot of the city, which then hones in on M. Merde creeping out of another manhole located in a cemetery. He begins a tirade stomping through the premises vandalizing graves and consuming flower bouquets. He puffs on a cigarette and scares visitors, even attacking one of them.
He stumbles upon a fashion shoot as Le photographe Harry (Geoffrey Carey) captures multiple images of the emotionless model Kay M (but, might as well have shared the name of the actor playing her, Eva Mendes) towering over a large group of onlookers, taped off. An enthralled Harry giddily takes photos and keeps commenting “beauty” as M. Merde barges in and makes a scene. He requests his L’assistante photographe (Annabelle Dexter-Jones) to ask M. Merde if he would be willing to have his photo taken with Kay M for Wave magazine in a kind of a Beauty & Beast theme. He responds by biting off her hand and carrying a completely unfazed Kay M off into the French sewers ala Phantom of the Opera. All the while, Harry is taking pictures until they part ways.
While down in the sewer, they find a corner and sit. M. Merde empties her purse, lights one of her cigarettes, and starts eating her money. Her response is to rip her hairpiece off. He tears some of her outfit and redresses her in the gold fabric, completely covering her, even placing a veil over her face, all the while mumbling and grunting to himself. He has her do a runway walk and then takes off all of his clothes, exposing a full-on erection (wow, not sure if I've ever seen one in a legitimate film before). As she sits upright, fully clothed, he lies at her side and covers himself in crumpled flowers. She sings him to sleep with a lullaby. Fade out.
La père
Le tueur
In the limo, he learns that his next assignment has a victim (Théo) and weapon (a knife). The limo enters the garage and Céline lets Oscar out. As Alex the serial killer, he’s dressed as a thug and casts suspicious glances everywhere he goes. Madame Ling greets him in a warehouse where he goes looking for Théo. They look similar (and may both be played by Lavant is my guess). Alex stabs him and opens his briefcase. He shaves Théo’s head clean and dresses him in his clothes. He even uses the knife to mark him identical to Alex’ previous wounds. Just as he’s finishing, Théo procures a weapon and stabs him in the same area which Alex cut him, resulting in a profound shot of their two bodies lying by each other. Alex (or perhaps Théo?) manages to escape, but collapses. Céline arrives in the rain and drags his body into the limo.
In the limo, Oscar is greeted by L'homme à la tache de vin (Michel Piccoli) who comments on his lack of passion for his craft. Oscar responds that cameras are getting smaller and lighter. “Beauty, they say is in the eye of the beholder,” is met with the question, “And if there's no more beholder?” Later, Céline and Oscar chat while the camera briefly filters the city through a translucent green similar to the title credit in the trailer and in various publicity materials.
There’s a darkened neon effect on the outside footage and Céline implores Oscar to eat. They drive through a tunnel and Oscar continues to drink. The two of them softly sing a song at one point. Céline speaks of her days as a dancer and a pigeon startles her driving. They share a laugh. He looks at his house, wife, and daughters of final assignment. They arrive and there’s a short clip of some old black and white footage. Céline asks Oscar about his status. He finally wakes up and she lets him out of the limo for his final assignment (on this particular day anyway). She gives him a key and drives off, as a song (“Make the long journey once more”) plays. He walks slowly to his front door, and once he enters we discover through the windows, to much comical effect, that his relatives Luce and Aude are played by chimps. Upstairs, the three of them look out the window as the song continues.
Céline drives to Holy Motors, where you can find all of the other white limos in France. She parks the car, lets her hair down, and puts on a mask. She makes a call that she’s headed home and leaves. In an overhead shot of the limos lined up parked, the lights go out. The brake lights start blinking in conjunction with various voices speaking in English and some French (Carax, Carey, Laurent Lacotte, David Stanley Phillips, Michel Delahaye, Leslie Palanker, Camille Rutherford, Adrien Guitton, Johanna Nizard, Kester Lovelace). There is talk of how people don’t want visible machines anymore, which ends in a chorus of, “Amens.” Roll credits.
Movie Spoiler Summary Holy Motors
Movie Spoiler Holy Motors
Movie Spoilers Holy Motors
Spoiler Holy Motors
Spoilers Holy Motors
Holy Motors Movie Spoiler
Holy Motors Movie Spoilers
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He steps back into the limo, and takes his wig off and decaying teeth, in preparation for his next character. Céline debriefs him on the assignment. He opens his trunk and she drops him off at a large building. He’s dressed in a motion-capture suit (the solid colored getups with several balls attached to various points on their bodies) actors wear while being filmed for those computer-generated movies that Robert Zemeckis loves to produce. He identifies himself using this complex machine, which allows him access into a room. He opens a briefcase, removes the contents, and a man over the loudspeaker touches base with him. Oscar’s L’OS de Motion-Capture in action is actually L’acrobate Mo-Cap (played by Reda Oumouzoune). The talented performer begins practicing an acrobatic routine, which includes flips, kicks, and twirling around guns. He then brandishes a semi-automatic weapon and begins running on a treadmill in front of a green screen, which produces various images. He falls off and a woman, La cyber-femme (! love it !) (Zlata) arrives, also dressed in a motion-capture-suit. Their interactions with each other quickly take on an erotic nature. At one point, their bodies begin to twist in a distorted fashion, before we’re treated to the animated version of their work which resembles two reptile-like creatures wrapped around each other in some kind of netherworld.
In the limo, Oscar reads up on assignment #3: M. Merde, who is the red-headed freak dressed in green with the glassy eye that you may or may not recall from the trailer. He applies spirit gum on his face to attach his facial hair and when he’s fully costumed, he sits with a meal before him while watching the monitor showing passing footage of the outside. Céline notifies him that they are running late. Oscar yearns for a previous job which took place in a forest. Ready for showtime, he steps out of the limo barefoot and climbs down a manhole and navigates his way through the Parisian sewer system, which is populated by many others. There’s a panoramic shot of the city, which then hones in on M. Merde creeping out of another manhole located in a cemetery. He begins a tirade stomping through the premises vandalizing graves and consuming flower bouquets. He puffs on a cigarette and scares visitors, even attacking one of them.
In the limo, Oscar prepares for his next character. He parts ways with Céline and takes off in a red hatchback as Le père or the father, picking up his daughter Angèle (Jeanne Disson). There is a shot of her at a party hiding in the bathroom. Le père smokes and listens to the radio and pulls up to an apartment building, where the party is taking place several stories up. Upstairs, people enjoy Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” blasting from the balcony as Angèle enters her father’s car. She lies to him and tells him that her friend Sonia went home with her boyfriend, but they both had a good time at the party. They discuss the evening’s events and she ignores a call from Sonia (her ringtone is also the Minogue hit from the early 2000s), who then calls the father. He realizes his daughter has lied to him and they get into an argument. She doesn’t believe that she is attractive, which is why she stayed in the bathroom the whole evening and then lied to her father about it. He drops her off at home and takes off, listening to music, and meets up with Céline.
L’accordéoniste (Intervel)
There’s a short black and white clip denoting an Intervel. Oscar walks through an old building, possibly a church, playing an accordion. He’s joined by an army of other accordion players aka Musicien à l'église (Elliot Simon, Quentin Auvray, Doctor L, Bertrand Cantat, Alexandre Leitao, David Nzavotunga Kiala, Johann Riche, Clément Robin, Yao Dembele, Yves Abadi, Miguel Saboga, Grégoire Simon, Viviane Amoux, Hugo Boulesteix, Eloi Miehe), composed of the young, old, men, women; the group also includes a guitarist and drummer amongst others. As the accordion player, he leads a procession from room to room featuring the upbeat, driving song you may recognize from the trailer.
There’s a short black and white clip denoting an Intervel. Oscar walks through an old building, possibly a church, playing an accordion. He’s joined by an army of other accordion players aka Musicien à l'église (Elliot Simon, Quentin Auvray, Doctor L, Bertrand Cantat, Alexandre Leitao, David Nzavotunga Kiala, Johann Riche, Clément Robin, Yao Dembele, Yves Abadi, Miguel Saboga, Grégoire Simon, Viviane Amoux, Hugo Boulesteix, Eloi Miehe), composed of the young, old, men, women; the group also includes a guitarist and drummer amongst others. As the accordion player, he leads a procession from room to room featuring the upbeat, driving song you may recognize from the trailer.
In the limo, he learns that his next assignment has a victim (Théo) and weapon (a knife). The limo enters the garage and Céline lets Oscar out. As Alex the serial killer, he’s dressed as a thug and casts suspicious glances everywhere he goes. Madame Ling greets him in a warehouse where he goes looking for Théo. They look similar (and may both be played by Lavant is my guess). Alex stabs him and opens his briefcase. He shaves Théo’s head clean and dresses him in his clothes. He even uses the knife to mark him identical to Alex’ previous wounds. Just as he’s finishing, Théo procures a weapon and stabs him in the same area which Alex cut him, resulting in a profound shot of their two bodies lying by each other. Alex (or perhaps Théo?) manages to escape, but collapses. Céline arrives in the rain and drags his body into the limo.
Le tué
Time passes and Oscar begins speaking to himself and then asks Céline to pull the car over. As the assassin, he runs out shirtless and hooded and shoots a banker. There is a shootout and one of the gunmen shouts, “Aim for the crotch!” Oscar takes some serious hits and Céline rushes through a crowd of people to his side and guides him back to the limo. They drive off.
Le mourant
A bellhop greets him (instead of Céline getting the door like she usually does) in front of his character M. Vogen’s posh apartment residence. He takes an elevator up to his home where his dog waits for him patiently. He spritzes himself and goes to bed. The Dying Man speaks about Théo, as a young woman, his niece Léa (Elise Lhomeau), played by a woman named Elise, tends to him. She leaves and undresses in her quarters. She returns fully clothed and they talk some more as she sits by his side. They discuss dying and he says, “Nothing makes me feel more alive than to watch others die.” She expresses regret over her husband, whom she believes only married her because her uncle willed her his entire fortune. After some tears, she falls asleep. Finished with his role as M. Vogen, Oscar gets up. They both have to attend to their next assignments and express a desire to see each other soon.
L’homme au foyer (the segment with Kylie Minogue)
Céline picks Oscar up. He’s now coughing from, he believes, his job as Le tuere (or Le tué?). Céline turns on a simulated burner in the back and Oscar prepares for his next character. They drive down a lonely, scary road at night and the footage of the outside begins to bleed together. Céline gets into an accident with another limo right in front of La Samaritaine. “Ectoplasm on wheels” she calls the other driver. While Oscar waits, he recognizes the actor Jean (Minogue) in the other limo. They take a walk and Jean explains how she is already in character for her next role, Eva Grace, as Oscar is already partially in character. A man greets them and they enter the La Samaritaine, which used to be an old department store that is now being converted into a luxury hotel. He comments how he used to buy her bras from that store. They walk up a few levels and reach a floor scattered with old mannequin parts. He picks her up and carries her a flight of stairs. She begins singing a melancholic song from the trailer (the one that starts “Who are we, who were we, when we were who we were ... back then …” and sounds like David Bowie’s version of “Nature Boy” from Moulin Rouge!). He violently kicks a mannequin head. They arrive on the rooftop and talk some more. After they part ways, she takes off her wig and jacket to get into Jean’s complete character, revealing a flight attendant outfit and steps on the edge of the roof between the large “A” and “I” letters titling the building. She talks of Henry and a man arrives looking for Jean. Oscar arrives downstairs where their bodies are splattered side by side next to Céline and the limo, having both committed suicide.
Time passes and Oscar begins speaking to himself and then asks Céline to pull the car over. As the assassin, he runs out shirtless and hooded and shoots a banker. There is a shootout and one of the gunmen shouts, “Aim for the crotch!” Oscar takes some serious hits and Céline rushes through a crowd of people to his side and guides him back to the limo. They drive off.
A bellhop greets him (instead of Céline getting the door like she usually does) in front of his character M. Vogen’s posh apartment residence. He takes an elevator up to his home where his dog waits for him patiently. He spritzes himself and goes to bed. The Dying Man speaks about Théo, as a young woman, his niece Léa (Elise Lhomeau), played by a woman named Elise, tends to him. She leaves and undresses in her quarters. She returns fully clothed and they talk some more as she sits by his side. They discuss dying and he says, “Nothing makes me feel more alive than to watch others die.” She expresses regret over her husband, whom she believes only married her because her uncle willed her his entire fortune. After some tears, she falls asleep. Finished with his role as M. Vogen, Oscar gets up. They both have to attend to their next assignments and express a desire to see each other soon.
Céline picks Oscar up. He’s now coughing from, he believes, his job as Le tuere (or Le tué?). Céline turns on a simulated burner in the back and Oscar prepares for his next character. They drive down a lonely, scary road at night and the footage of the outside begins to bleed together. Céline gets into an accident with another limo right in front of La Samaritaine. “Ectoplasm on wheels” she calls the other driver. While Oscar waits, he recognizes the actor Jean (Minogue) in the other limo. They take a walk and Jean explains how she is already in character for her next role, Eva Grace, as Oscar is already partially in character. A man greets them and they enter the La Samaritaine, which used to be an old department store that is now being converted into a luxury hotel. He comments how he used to buy her bras from that store. They walk up a few levels and reach a floor scattered with old mannequin parts. He picks her up and carries her a flight of stairs. She begins singing a melancholic song from the trailer (the one that starts “Who are we, who were we, when we were who we were ... back then …” and sounds like David Bowie’s version of “Nature Boy” from Moulin Rouge!). He violently kicks a mannequin head. They arrive on the rooftop and talk some more. After they part ways, she takes off her wig and jacket to get into Jean’s complete character, revealing a flight attendant outfit and steps on the edge of the roof between the large “A” and “I” letters titling the building. She talks of Henry and a man arrives looking for Jean. Oscar arrives downstairs where their bodies are splattered side by side next to Céline and the limo, having both committed suicide.
Movie Spoiler Summary Holy Motors
Movie Spoiler Holy Motors
Movie Spoilers Holy Motors
Spoiler Holy Motors
Spoilers Holy Motors
Holy Motors Movie Spoiler
Holy Motors Movie Spoilers
Holy Motors Movie Spoiler Summary
Holy Motors Movie Spoilers Summary
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Holy Motors Spoilers
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