Review of That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) by T.a. P — 16 Oct 2008
Luis Bunuel's final film, and the last entry into the loose trilogy of parodying the values of bourgeois society. A well-to-do man's obsession with a woman who accepts his advances but is unwilling and unable to consummate them, That Obscure Object of Desire is a small film, in relation to his previous two works, in that the thrust of the film is the most universal of human experiences: love.
Yet, this love is not a joyous one, as the lovers are constantly at odds with one another, yet inexplicably drawn to one another after many periods of separation. The banality and impossibility of their constant reconciliations is where the strength of Bunuel's surrealism rests, creating anticipation within the viewer that Mathieu and Conchita (played by two different actresses while maintaining the same character, an interesting surrealist flavour) will finally requite how they feel.
Amidst their turbulent courtship are acts of terrorism (Basques?), and from these spates of violence one may come to realize that romance may be the most bourgeois value of all, as everything else is easily ignored or simply considered a nuisance in the way of the formation of the heterosexual couple.
Quite possibly the most intimate of Bunuel's film this viewer has seen, it is quite a fitting close to a very storied career.
This review of That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) was written by T.a. P on 16 Oct 2008.
That Obscure Object of Desire has generally received very positive reviews.
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