While I thought this was a fairly good movie, I keep asking myself WHY so many films by Luis Buñuel are so highly praised? Maybe it's just that his films don't appeal to everyone and I am just one of the ones who "doesn't get it". This is possible. All I know is that I've seen most of his most famous films and didn't love any of them. In general, they were decent, but that's really about it.
This film has some excellent aspects, though. I like the general kinky story line--a seemingly innocent woman about to be seduced by a dirty old man--and, then, the tables are turned and you find out that the "innocent woman" is one sick woman--and, then, you see that the man is actually a good match for her because they are BOTH sick puppies! Their sado-masochistic relationship is certainly entertaining. I also liked the style of the film as the older man (Rey) recounts his tale to enthralled train riders. I even liked the bizarre touch of having two rather different looking women DELIBERATELY play the same woman interchangeably throughout the movie--some real weird but fun stuff here.
However, the odd touches and constant references to terrorist groups was stupid. I know this was a reference to the director's political leanings but it just seemed irrelevant. Either he should have, in my opinion, followed up and hashed this out more or it should have been excised from the movie. As it is, it just didn't fit but wasn't really weird enough to make the movie surrealistic.
Oh, and by the way, this movie is a lot like his other film THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISE, as in that case people always were looking for dinner but never got fed--in this case, Rey was looking to score but somehow, despite coming VERY close, he never actually did!
PS--to the parents, this movie features a lot of explicit nudity and implied sado-masochism, so it would be appropriate for younger audiences.
This film has some excellent aspects, though. I like the general kinky story line--a seemingly innocent woman about to be seduced by a dirty old man--and, then, the tables are turned and you find out that the "innocent woman" is one sick woman--and, then, you see that the man is actually a good match for her because they are BOTH sick puppies! Their sado-masochistic relationship is certainly entertaining. I also liked the style of the film as the older man (Rey) recounts his tale to enthralled train riders. I even liked the bizarre touch of having two rather different looking women DELIBERATELY play the same woman interchangeably throughout the movie--some real weird but fun stuff here.
However, the odd touches and constant references to terrorist groups was stupid. I know this was a reference to the director's political leanings but it just seemed irrelevant. Either he should have, in my opinion, followed up and hashed this out more or it should have been excised from the movie. As it is, it just didn't fit but wasn't really weird enough to make the movie surrealistic.
Oh, and by the way, this movie is a lot like his other film THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISE, as in that case people always were looking for dinner but never got fed--in this case, Rey was looking to score but somehow, despite coming VERY close, he never actually did!
PS--to the parents, this movie features a lot of explicit nudity and implied sado-masochism, so it would be appropriate for younger audiences.