That Obscure Object of Desire

1. Why do you think the film is titled That Obscure Object of Desire? What is this “obscure object”? How does the film present it as such? Use specific imagery or scenes from the film in your answer.

The film is titled That Obscure Object of Desire because the 'obscure object' represents sex or, more specifically, and orgasm. I also noticed later that 'orgasm' begins with the same letter as the words 'obscure,' and 'object.' I believe this is a deliberate use of alliteration in the title. The entire movie is about sex, so it makes sense. Matthieu lusts after Conchita and chases her but is unable to catch her; she leads him on over and over again. This reminds me of the story of Calisto and Melibea; she leading him on and he burning with desire to catch her and make her his. However, since he loves the surreal image of her rather than Melibea herself, he quickly loses all passion once he sleeps with her. This is the exact same with Matthieu; once he gets to sleep with Conchita he is denied his pleasure which makes me believe the importance is in the hunt rather than the catch.

4. What do you make of the animal imagery in the text (the mouse, the fly)?


 There is a lot of animal imagery seen throughout this film, although the main ones are the fly and the mouse. This is interesting because both animals are prey, the ones who are hunted. The mouse, trying vainly to get some cheese, gets caught in a trap. This relates to Matthieu, who I believe is a lot like that mouse; he goes after what he wants without realizing the dangers and because of that he is often tricked by Conchita and stumbles into traps, just like that poor mouse.