International Buñuel: Interruption as Method

Luis Buñuel: Aesthetics of the Irrational

For the ICA’s retrospective "Luis Buñuel: Aesthetics of the Irrational" ‘international period’, this commissioned video essay from filmmaker and academic Cristina Álvarez López surveys his character’s attitudes towards national identities to find commentary of international relations.

With screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière, Buñuel crafts cultural stereotypes from both social and political perspectives, highlighting the contradictions that underpin these subjective concepts through precise lines of dialogue.

Moving beyond this, López identifies one of Buñuel’s fundamental techniques, interruption, where the filmmaker persistently disrupts the progression of his narrative to frustrate characters and audiences alike.

Through assessment of this strategy, we identify its effect upon key themes found within Buñuel’s work, permitting further understanding of his essential legacy.

Tagged with: Luis Buñuel, Essay Films