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 well-to-do friends who constantly try to dine out, but are interrupted each time by bizarre and inexplicable events. Buñuel uses these comic disruptions to expose the superficiality of their existence and their struggle to maintain a prefabricated social facade. The story is set in a dreamlike atmosphere, where the boundaries between reality and delusion are blurred and the characters are trapped in their own illusions of sophistication and elegance.

Through surrealism and black humor, Buñuel offers sharp criticism of class differences, the naivete of the bourgeoisie and their inability to face the absurdity of their own existence. The lack of logic and the repeated failure of their attempts at a meal are a metaphor for the emptiness of their pursuit of status and desire for a world they themselves cannot understand. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a masterpiece of cinematic resistance, in which Buñuel brilliantly unmasks the apparent civility of the bourgeoisie while challenging the audience to reflect on the absurdity of their own social conventions.