The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie (1972) - Expat Cinema Rotterdam

Luis Buñuel's 1972 classic The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a satirical and absurdist take on the hypocrisy and social conventions of the bourgeoisie. The film follows a group of wealthy friends who repeatedly attempt to have dinner, only to be interrupted time and again by bizarre and inexplicable events. Buñuel uses these comedic disruptions to expose the shallowness of their existence and their struggle to maintain a prefabricated social façade. The story unfolds in a dreamlike atmosphere, where the boundaries between reality and illusion blur, trapping the characters in their own delusions of refinement and elegance. Through surrealism and dark humor, Buñuel delivers a sharp critique of class divisions, the naivety of the bourgeoisie, and their inability to confront the absurdity of their own existence. The absence of logic and the repeated failure of their attempts to dine serve as a metaphor for the emptiness of their pursuit of status and their longing for a world they cannot truly comprehend. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a masterpiece of cinematic subversion, in which Buñuel brilliantly dismantles the illusion of bourgeois sophistication while simultaneously challenging the audience to reflect on the absurdity of their own social conventions.