"Lynchian" vs. Holy Motors

Another useless director-related screed perhaps, but I'm not sure how many people will read this regardless, so here goes.

Holy Motors, is undeniably an incredibly varied, captivating film; if I'm not as taken with it as others are, I still admire it deeply for its ambition, its craft, and its world. That world, however, simply has very little to do with perhaps that most misused word relating to a director: Lynchian.

Lynchian to me (keeping in mind this thinking was formed by more than a few sources) means much more than simply weird or surreal; it typifies a mood or state of mind, one inextricably tied to the real world in which we viewers exist in. It is much more terrifying and provoking than simple surrealism because it reminds us of reality, and the quirkiness and subtle differences jar us and make us question ourselves.

Holy Motors, for all of its genius, perhaps wisely doesn't attempt this, and in essence forms its own, entirely separate world. Because it takes place almost solely from the view of Mr. Oscar, the surrounding world is seen through his highly performative lenses, and while it may appear to be simply a more technologically advanced version of present-day Paris, the continually shifting aesthetic leads the viewer to focus on the performance rather than the world around it. By no means is this a bad thing, and it works for the film, but by no means is Holy Motors Lynchian (aside from, perhaps, the prologue).