The hero of the film, Mathieu, is no longer a young but wealthy person of the upper class. Once, when he saw his young and beautiful new maid Kenchita, he wanted to possess her. This is not an accident, it is just another event in which the lower classes manifest their bourgeois superiority. But he failed. It was an unexpected blow to his self-esteem. In the next few encounters with Conchita, he finally falls into the trap of his own desires, and he can even temporarily let go of his physical needs and give Conchita an old love. This was clearly not what the wealthy gentleman could have expected.
This may not be love, but her seduction and rejection, her elusiveness evoked by Mathiere's stronger possessiveness. They have always maintained a relationship of conquering and being conquered. Conchita has her own clean virgin body to dominate Mathiere's desires. And Mathieu confuses Conchita with his wealth, making her willing to become his lover.
There are several puzzling details in the film.
The first is a large cloth bag that looks full. The first person to bring it into the country was a man in poor clothes. Mathieu and Conchita pass him by, and the camera follows him for a short distance. I think the implication here may be a temporary transfer of desire. During a date between the hero and heroine, the big cloth bag appeared again. This may represent another rise in Mathieu's desire (mostly sexual). The third appearance of the sack is when Mathieu drives Conchita off to travel alone. This obviously shows that he is obsessed with her. The last time it appeared, this time the most meaningful and expressive: a lingerie shop in the glass window. The store is stocked with silk nightdresses in a variety of styles. The clerk sat by the window, took out a torn white nightdress stained with blood from a large cloth bag beside her, and tried to sew it up with a needle. At this time, Mathieu was standing in front of the window and watching this scene with great interest. This scene is likely to show that Mathieu has fulfilled his desire and that Kenchita is no longer a virgin. (She is wearing this similar nightdress)
Two of the details are worth noting. In one, Mathieu was talking to Conchita's mother in his luxurious home when Martin, the housekeeper, noticed a mouse trapped in a mousetrap by the wall. Another is when Mathieu was dining in a fine dining restaurant with flies in the glass. These show that in the seemingly elegant high society life, the dirty side is hidden or blatantly revealed.
And the big explosion at the end. Does this show that it's all just a farce?
There are also several very absurd places in the film: the child in the woman's arms is actually a pink pig; the most rational and wise man on the train is actually a dwarf.
These, whether a satire or just a gimmick, once again confirmed Bu Nuer's surrealist style.
"The Obscure Purpose of Desire" is the closing film of Bu Nuer's film career, marking the perfect ending to his life as a master.
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