What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedHoly Motors
Leos Carax · Film · 2012
If you loved Holy Motors, start with Monster (2004) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Holy Motors across media.
What hooked you in Holy Motors was the way a fragmented, shifting identity challenges the very nature of human reality.
Books on the same thread
The Metamorphosis
Franz Kafka · Book · 2019
Shares a thread with Holy Motors: Existentialism.
Just as the protagonist of Holy Motors cycles through bizarre personas, this story forces you to confront the unsettling physical and psychological transformation of a man into something unrecognizable.
The Stranger (L'Étranger)
Albert Camus · Book · 1942
Explores: Absurdity of Life, Alienation, Indifference.
You will find the same cold, detached existential inquiry here that defined Holy Motors, as this narrative strips away social artifice to reveal the absurdity beneath our daily existence.
Ficciones. C Edited and with an Introduction by Anthony Kerrigan
Jorge Luis Borges · Book · 1962
Shares 3 threads with Holy Motors: Identity, Mortality, The Nature of Reality.
These stories mirror the structural kaleidoscope of Holy Motors, presenting a labyrinthine view of identity and reality that demands you question the boundaries between the performer and the performance.
Metamorphosis and Other Stories
Franz Kafka · Book · 2002
Shares a thread with Holy Motors: Existentialism.
Much like the shifting, surreal roles found in Holy Motors, these stories capture a profound sense of alienation through characters caught in the inexplicable mechanics of a changing world.
Series on the same thread
Monster
Series · 2004
Shares a thread with Holy Motors: Existentialism.
This series shares the haunting moral ambiguity of Holy Motors, tracking a protagonist whose life is irrevocably altered by a disturbing encounter that questions the core of human nature.
American Horror Story
Ryan Murphy · Series · 2011
Shares a thread with Holy Motors: Identity.
The anthology structure mirrors the episodic transformations in Holy Motors, utilizing a constant rotation of characters and settings to explore the darker, performative aspects of the human condition.
Serial Experiments Lain
Series · 1998
Shares a thread with Holy Motors: Existentialism.
This narrative dives into the dissolution of self seen in Holy Motors, following a character as they lose their grip on physical reality within a blurred, digital landscape.
Severance
Dan Erickson · Series · 2022
Shares 2 threads with Holy Motors: Existentialism, The Nature of Reality.
Like the fractured life of the lead in Holy Motors, this story examines the psychological toll of compartmentalizing existence, where one person inhabits two entirely distinct, disconnected realities.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
These cinematic audio dramas echo the format of Holy Motors by presenting a fresh, self-contained world in every episode, prioritizing experimental storytelling over a singular, linear narrative path.
Dooms
Podcast
Shares a thread with Holy Motors: Identity.
This podcast captures the intimate, introspective exploration of identity that drives the character studies in Holy Motors, providing a raw look at the person behind the various masks.
Common questions
What is the premise of Holy Motors?
Holy Motors follows 24 hours in the life of a being who moves from life to life. The protagonist shifts between distinct identities, including a murderer, a beggar, a company chairman, a monstrous creature, a worker, and a family man, acting like an assassin moving from hit to hit.
Is the protagonist in Holy Motors always the same person?
The being in Holy Motors possesses an entirely distinct identity in each of the interwoven lives depicted. They transition between being a man, a woman, youthful, and old, embodying different roles such as a family man or a monstrous creature throughout their 24-hour journey.
How many different lives does the main character lead in Holy Motors?
While the film captures 24 hours in the life of the being, Holy Motors presents a series of interwoven lives where the protagonist assumes various identities. These range from a murderer and a beggar to a company chairman and a family man, among other distinct roles.
What kind of roles does the main character take on in Holy Motors?
In Holy Motors, the protagonist assumes a wide range of identities that shift between genders, ages, and social standings. These roles include a murderer, a beggar, a company chairman, a monstrous creature, a worker, and a family man, as the being moves between lives like an assassin.