‘The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie’: The movie Ruben Östlund calls “completely absurd”
With keen social observations, a unique approach to cinematic storytelling and satirical humour that borders on the point of provocative, Ruben Östlund has established himself as one of European cinema’s most distinctive creative forces, leading to widespread critical acclaim that continues to grow in fervour.
Films such as Force Majeure, The Square and Triangle of Sadness embody a sense of black comedy that has made Östlund a favourite at the Cannes Film Festival, although some of his earlier works, like the inventive, patient and complex Play, show that Östlund is far more than a mere provocateur, but possesses an outlook essential to the very medium of cinema itself.
Over the years, Östlund has indeed provided countless wonderful cinematic moments, but the director himself is not without his favourites. In a feature with Criterion, the Swedish filmmaker named his favourite movies of all time, and after discussing the works of Jacques Tati and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, he turned his attention to Luis Buñuel and his 1972 comedy-drama The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.
“This is the best film title in the world, and I wish so much that I had come up with it myself,” Östlund said. “It’s a completely absurd film. Buñuel dares to make a movie about this group of people who want to but never manage to eat dinner. There’s a moment when a hand comes up and tries to grab a piece of food off the table.”
As Östlund notes, there is indeed an attempt by a group of bourgeoise people to dine together, but they are repeatedly interrupted. The film opens with a focus on the gathering diners before Buñuel turns his attention to the dreams of some of the participants, with the end of the film mostly focusing on these moments, although they are interwoven throughout.
“He has no respect for the audience at all, and that of course makes him very interesting,” Östlund said of Buñuel’s ingenuity and unique approach to filmmaking. “I also like the way he dealt with his public persona. He was very free, and he was playing around in a way that gave him distance from the whole circus.”
Noting the brilliance of Buñuel following his film’s critical success, Östlund signed off, “When he was nominated for an Oscar for The Discreet Charm, a journalist asked him how he thought it was going to go, and Buñuel said he would win because his producer had bought the Oscar. And then he actually won and in his award speech he said that you can say whatever you want about Americans, but at least they stand by their word.”
Check out the trailer for The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie below.
