Leos Carax
New Film: Holy Rollers
Country: France
Age: 51
Best Known for: Taking his sweet, old time making movies (it's been 13 years since his last)
Cannes History
Carax has twice taken a film to Cannes, prior to 2012. His first film, Boy Meets Girl, was at the festival, but not in the Competition. He took home the Award of the Youth. He returned in 1999 with Pola X and hasn't directed a film since.
His Resume
Carax has been directing films since 1984 (the aforementioned Boy Meets Girl), but he only has four, now five, titles to his name. Perhaps his most visible film has been 1991's The Lovers on the Bridge, which starred Carax regulars Juliette Binoche (two Carax collaborations) and Denis Lavant (four Carax collaborations, including Holy Motors). Lovers is about two deeply damaged people who spark up a relationship while living under a Parisian bridge. Troubled love seems to be Carax's constant through his four previous films, though his characters and the worlds they inhabit all seem unique (full disclosure: I'm a Carax virgin).
Carax On-Demand
Hulu Plus: N/A
iTunes: N/A
Netflix Instant: The Lovers on the Bridge
Vudu: N/A
Holy Motors
"Denis Lavant, Carax regular collaborator, ... plays a man traveling between parallel lives. Through 24 hours he is a murderer, beggar, CEO, monstrous creature and father." —Filmofilia
Thirteen years is a long time to wait between pictures, so we'll see what Carax has in the tank. Word is he struggled for many years to get the financing necessary to shoot a commercial-minded Hollywood movie and is back with Holy Motors to re-establish his reputation as a ballsy independent filmmaker. And judging it just by its premise, he's succeeded.
However, there's a better-than-slight chance the film is a disaster. Having never attended Cannes, I'm not sure of their policy on bringing acid into screenings, but Holy Motors sounds as if an altered state of mind could be a pre-requisite for enjoyment. There's also the eclectic cast, which includes Lavant, Michel Piccoli (great in Cannes Jury President Nanni Moretti's We Have a Pope), Eva Mendes (on-set still below), and Kylie Minogue.
Intrigued yet? As I said, I haven't seen any of Carax's other work, but saying this one piques my interest is a major understatement.
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