That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)

7.8R103 minDirector: Luis Buñuel

1977 French-Spanish absurdist satirical comedy-drama film by Luis Buñuel

That Obscure Object of Desire (French: Cet Obscur Objet Du Désir; Spanish: Ese Oscuro Objeto Del Deseo) is a 1977 absurdist satirical comedy-drama film directed by Luis Buñuel, based on the 1898 novel The Woman and the Puppet by Pierre Louÿs. It was Buñuel's final directorial effort before his death in July 1983. Set in Spain and France against the backdrop of a terrorist insurgency, the film conveys the story told through a series of flashbacks by an aging Frenchman, Mathieu (played by Spanish actor Fernando Rey), who recounts falling in love with a beautiful young Spanish woman, Conchita (played interchangeably by two actresses, the French actress, Carole Bouquet and the Spanish actress, Ángela Molina), who repeatedly frustrates his romantic and sexual desires. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 50th Academy Awards representing for Spain.

In recent years, the film has been highly acclaimed by critics and is considered one of Buñuel's greatest movies and a fine swan song for his extensive career.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is That Obscure Object of Desire about?
That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) — Just after boarding a train, much to the surprise of his fellow passengers, a man pours a bucket of water over a young girl on the platform. Over the next few hours he explains (and we see in flashback) how he became obsessed by her (so much so that he failed to notice that she w
Is That Obscure Object of Desire based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is That Obscure Object of Desire scary?
Content rating: R. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.