That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)
A film by Luis Buņuel
Buņuel's final film features Fernando Rey as a wealthy man named Mathieu, who tells a story to a group of strange people in a train carriage compartment. He meets a beautiful young woman named Conchita. They begin to see each other often, and Mathieu's desire for her grows stronger. Conchita is poor and lives with her mother in a small flat. Mathieu gives them a lot of money, but mistakenly tries to buy Conchita away from her mother.
Conchita is played by two different beautiful actresses, but strange as it may seem, this doesn't effect the film negatively. Sometimes when one version of Conchita walks through a door, the other figure enters the next room. But this style is unique and does work. Conchita teases Mathieu throughout the film and comes across as a manipulative vixen.
There is also a group of terrorists bombing buildings and cars throughout the film. A strange sack is carried around and seen several times, too. These are the mysterious things Buņuel likes to add to his films. You also get the feeling that Buņuel knew this was going to be his last film with the ending, which is abrupt, and brings the curtain down perfectly on Buņuel's great career.
"Buņuel's film is filled with small droll touches, with tiny peculiarities of behaviour, with moral anarchy, with a cynicism about human nature that somehow seems, in his hands, almost cheerful." - Roger Ebert
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
