THE GOLDEN MURIEL: 2012 FILM OF THE YEAR

Russell Hainline on Holy Motors, the Golden Muriel winner for 2012 Film of the Year:

"Holy Motors, Leos Carax’s sprawling surrealist journey, is the type of film that you're likely to lament never being able to see again for the first time. It’s a movie about movies, attempting to reveal something about both the art of storytelling and the struggle between the old-school film aficionados and the digital age. It contains scenes of uproarious comedy and immense sadness, running the gamut of emotions during its two-hour run time. Most notable of all, it features the bravest leading male performance in years -- Denis Lavant plays eleven credited roles and is asked to portray acts of weirdness that would send most actors running for the hills, all while maintaining a sense of deeply affecting melancholy."

The entirety of Hainline's piece can be accessed at the Muriel Awards blog, Our Science is Too Tight. 

There have been years when I've shrugged my shoulders at the big winner and thought to myself, "Oh, well.." And I thought that might happen again this year. But I'm extremely pleased to see the results of this year's voting for the big award, and I couldn't second my colleagues with any more enthusiasm. That enthusiasm can only be surpassed by my honor at being able to take part in this balloting, which I look forward to every year. Paul, Steve, thanks for having me, and for facilitating my being part of such a fine company of writers.

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