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''Holy Motors'' is a 2012 French-German fantasy drama written and directed by Leos Carax, starring Creator/DenisLavant, Édith Scob, Creator/EvaMendes, Creator/MichelPiccoli and Music/KylieMinogue (in a small part).

Lavant plays Monsieur Oscar, a man not unlike an actor who inhabits several roles, but there are no apparent cameras filming the man's performances.
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!!This film provides examples of:

* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: TruthInTelevision, assuming it was shot on location.
* ActorAllusion: Édith Scob (Chauffeur Céline), starred in the French horror classic ''Film/EyesWithoutAFace (1960)''. The mask that Céline puts on by the end of the film is a direct reference to this.
* BeardOfEvil: The gnome has one.
* BeastAndBeauty: Discussed and played straight in M. Merde's story, where the gnome kidnaps the supermodel.
* ChewingTheScenery: Taken literally by M. Merde and his hunger for everything.
* CreatorCameo: The pajamas guy in the opening scene is director Leos Carax.
* {{Deconstruction}}: Of film in general, and of daily life too.
** The main character is an actor.
** His 'deaths' are fake as he has no problem living onward normally after getting stabbed in the neck with a switchblade and later the same night getting shot in the chest several times while entirely shirtless.
** He goes through several intense moments such as killing a man, witnessing the aftermath of an old friend's death minutes after talking to her, dying from old age with his 'niece' (another actor) by his side, and biting a woman's finger off. Aside from taking a few minutes to himself and having a drink, he is not affected by these events at all. The film itself presents them in an absurd "I don't care" way wherein such things are actually funnier than they are dramatic.
** He is driven around in a limo and appears to live a life of luxury, judging by his house and small collection of high-end automobiles.
** Oh yes, his name is "Oscar," an important name in the filmmaking industry.
** In the final scenes of Oscar's, his "family" isn't a human wife and child, but chimpanzees.
** After all the limo drivers leave the cars in the car barn for the night, the cars have a conversation with each other about getting older, retirement (possibly forced), and not being desired any more.
** The lead character "actor" is just as believable in his 'real' interactions with people as he is in his 'in-character' interactions. Do we not all play characters in this life, to many of the people we meet (or, do we treat them as simple, flat characters when we interact with them?)?
** The movie alludes to all these 'heavy' ideas, but takes it all in stride, even laughing at the matter.
* ExtremelyShortTimespan: The film plays out within the course of less than 24 hours.
* LeFilmArtistique: Almost to the point of deconstruction.
* {{Fingore}}: The gnome's appetite for fingers comes as a surprise to the casting agent.
* FrenchAccordion: The scene of a group of accordion players playing their instruments in a Paris church.
* ForeignLanguageTitle: A French production with an English title.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Early on we learn that the banker's life is in danger. An hour in, the real banker gets assassinated by the protagonist.
* GainaxEnding: Chimpanzees cast in human roles and [[SentientVehicle talking cars]].
* GenreBusting: The film is a collage of different genres.
** Sci-Fi: Motion capture sequence
** Thriller: Two episodes are about hitman activity
** Musical: Music/KylieMinogue's singing part and the accordion {{Intermission}}
** Drama: The father/daughter episode and the old man dying
* IdenticalStranger:
** It's not clear, whether the banker was supposed to be a doppelganger.
** Also the guy at the warehouse, that Mr. Oscar [[spoiler:kills]] and makes over to look like his own character.
* ImpromptuTracheotomy: The guy at the warehouse gets a knife stabbed in his neck.
* MindScrew: The Movie.
* NotQuiteDead: The guy in the warehouse [[spoiler:who was stabbed in the neck by Mr. Oscar]].
* OneHeadTaller: The supermodel is one head taller than her captor.
* PublicExposure: The supermodel shoot with the ecstatic photographer constantly shouting "beauty".
* RagingStiffie: M. Merde has one.
* SilentCredits: In true LeFilmArtistique fashion the closing credits role without any sound.
* SinisterSwitchblade: A switchblade producing sparks in the scene where the protagonist goes to kill a similar looking guy at the warehouse.
* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: When the father drops his daughter off and tells her to walk home as punishment, the music on the radio afterwards has the lyrics "How you're gettin' home, how you're gettin' home?
* TitleDrop: The neon sign towards the end.
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