Anyone who was disappointed by “Crimes Of The Future” and “The Shrouds” and thinks that body horror pope David Cronenberg apparently used up his powder some time ago should definitely give “Objet a” by Ann Oren a chance. The Israeli filmmaker, who lives in Berlin, not only ties in thematically – it’s about surgery, prostheses and body transformations – closely with the masterpieces of the Canadian cult filmmaker, but also the calm tone of voice is reminiscent of “Crash” & Co. At the same time, after her one-woman-suddenly-grows-a-ponytail debut “Piaffe”, she’s also taking such original paths this time that you’d never get the idea would accuse them of copying.
David Cronenberg counters Ann Oren’s rather clinical coldness with grainy Super 16mm images of a very sensual, often even poetic quality – and where with Cronenberg transformations are often associated with horror, with Oren there is a real pleasure in touching and merging. One of the main characters in “Objet a” even longs to become an object herself. In addition, Oren keeps her film, which has an outstanding audiovisual design, more abstract; Dialogues are often cryptic and the plot often remains vague. But anyone who gets involved will be rewarded with a kind of Cronenberg 2.0.
Ingeborg (Aenne Schwarz) can continue operating thanks to the prosthesis – but that’s not the only reason why she develops a close relationship with the object.
Ingeborg (Aenne Schwarz) and Adam (Louis Hofmann) are icons in the field of hand surgery who also lead their other lives in a spartan apartment with surgical precision: every morning he does bodyweight exercises while she prepares hard-boiled eggs and toast. Both wear elegant black outfits and are characterized by iron discipline at their workplace. But behind the couple’s cool, slippery surface there are hidden depths: Ingeborg is a kleptomaniac with a penchant for old objects, and the submissive Adam is driven by the constant desire to be treated like an object – a wish that Ingeborg regularly fulfills.
Everything goes according to plan until one day Ingeborg can’t resist the temptation to steal a man’s lighter on the subway. While trying to escape, she stumbles and fractures her tibia, which threatens her with a career break that will last for months. But the former patient Gaia (Simone Bucio), whose sixth finger was removed by the couple, witnesses the fall – and in the eponymous junk shop “Objet a” there is also a historical orthopedic prosthesis that allows Ingeborg to continue operating. However, this breaks the close relationship with Adam, especially since Ingeborg develops new erotic desires thanks to Gaia, who not only has a deep connection to nature and can make mushrooms sprout…
Gaia (Simone Bucio) has had a sixth finger removed by Ingeborg – now she can show her gratitude as an assistant.
Prosthetics, mushrooms, fetish-like desires – parts of the synopsis may sound pretty wild. But from around the halfway point, “Objet a” actually gradually develops from a formally strict, still somewhat logical semi-chamber play into an increasingly surreal trip in which Ingeborg masturbates with her new prosthetic leg (and then smokes a cigarette). Armpit hair is also licked while mushrooms sprout from Adam’s wooden corset – as an equivalent to Ingeborg’s prosthetic leg. Even if a slight art theater flavor sometimes emerges, “Objet a” does not lose its audience on this route either. On the one hand, this is due to the actors: Aenne Schwarz (“Bear Hunting”) and Louis Hofmann (“23,000 Lives”) put their heart and soul into their roles as well as a remarkable fearlessness.
It’s just fun to see how the two of them, who act so strictly reserved and precise at the beginning of the film, loosen the reins more and more in the second half. On the other hand, Ann Oren doesn’t get lost in her ideas: central motifs such as the sincere exploration of desire or the relationship between people and the ecosystems around them are always present – and ultimately, in the sets that are reminiscent of David Cronenberg and Wes Anderson, two people are simply portrayed who find themselves and each other.
Conclusion: The fetishization of body transformations is inevitably reminiscent of David Cronenberg, but Ann Oren takes a completely unique approach. “Objet a” is an odyssey steaming with desire with two outstanding leading actors and sometimes strictly arranged, sometimes psychedelically playful images that you won’t soon forget.