This probably deserves another viewing before I can try to wrap my head around it. Bunuel has offered a provocative and very funny thematic piece, however, I was unable to really engage in it. Perhaps that's the point.

Sometimes you just get stucked somewhere, because you are unabel to do something in purpose not to be stuck. Circle of nothing. Great movie with suspense. And the final solution was easy as the solutions are in the life (actually).

Absurd and great. Kind of hard to keep track of all the characters though. Probably needs 2 viewings.

The premise is fascinating and gave me all kinds of Twilight Zone flashbacks. Exposing the upper class for the selfish and amoral (ab)users they are isn't that shocking anymore, but that doesn't lessen the viewing experience. Some surreal scenes to top it off and you've got an interesting mix of social commentary and weird mystery. My main gripe is that the movie does not really have a strong momentum, and it becomes a little tedious after a while.

I've never seen anything else like this. There is something so inexplicably creepy about these people being unable to leave the room. The movie really got to me. I couldn't stop thinking about it all day. The events are surreal, yet they're wrapped in a layer of normalcy (it's a story about rich friends meeting for dinner, after all), making the film seem exceptionally strange and otherworldly. I don't have a complete grasp on what it all means, but I think that's half the fun.

"If not necessarily Buñuel's greatest film, this unclassifiable creation must count as one of the most twisted stunts ever mounted for the screen." - Ed Gonzalez

Another gem from the master of the surreal.

Buñuel in his most cryptic mood: no clues and no clarifications. He hardly gives pause to the puzzle aspect of the thing, but rolls up his sleeves and digs into it, in mercilessly realistic detail, as though it were a Crusoe survival problem. He has almost never had a merrier time unearthing the private perversities, shames, and squeamishnesses of the human race. And the cumulative sense of claustrophobia, of frayed nerves, of stench and decay, and of shadowy horror is quite overwhelming.

an intriguing take on the bunch of people in a room genre.

Fascinating surrealist fantasia on themes elaborated with even more panache in _The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie_. Nevertheless, one of its director's key films.

Buñuel sticks it to the upper class in this highly accessible and engaging surrealistic delight.

Didn't get this.

A second viewing has convinced me of its greatness; I think the first time I viewed it, I expected balls-to-the-walls surrealism, but it's actually quieter than that. Seen without that expectation, it's perfectly paced and always interesting.

Guests at an upper-class dinner party find that they cannot leave the room. One of the marvelous things about this film is how this absurd premise is soon accepted--both by the characters and the audience--as a matter of fact, and how the reactions of the characters are treated with complete realism and considerable humor. This is a haunting film, with an unsettling ending.

The concept of the film is completely surreal, but great. Luis Buñuel does your criticism of the society in situations comically bizarre.

Its surrealism just didn't catch me. But I find this a very compelling statement about the fragility of bourgeoisie.

Great premise, very well done.

117

Conceptually I really like this movie, and I like the fact that it goes off in directions that are more interesting than one would think (clawing in to the walls for water for instance). Still, I ultimately found the film lacking. Most of this has to do with the ending, which even now I can't wrap my head around. It's not that it's a bad movie, I just never really felt engaged with it.

The first Buñuel film to grab me completely. Its idea - a group of dinner guests unable to leave a room just because they mentally can't - is ingenious, managing to balance itself between an understandable and sharp anti-bourgeoisie/authority message, and a bizarre and drastic depiction of people becoming insane in a 'caged' environment. The result is special even in 2011.

Fuck you, Franco.

As expected you never know what to expect next. I like that.

The absurd elements are fun. But ultimately, and I'm sure that I missed some allegory, it struck me as sort of thin.

Perfectly balanced social commentary. It's sense of humor and surrealism -- as is typical of Bunuel -- are used harmoniously to bring the film to life. It's a cold film by it's nature, but overall it's a brilliant concept with even better execution.