Buñuel’s 1960 film The Young One left a greater impression on me than I realized. Packed with symbolism, I was particularly struck by the animal symbolism and was impressed at how a movie could have such a disappointing conclusion in which everyone and no one is satisfied in the end. For example, one of the main characters Evvie, the young girl who the film mostly surrounds, has a pet deer tied to the house and is only ever pet by her on screen. We see that the deer is tied to the house and is purely ornamental or there for Evvie’s enjoyment. Similarly, this trickles down to how Evvie is seen as ornamental in the space by Miller. She is another prisoner of the space, as are the animals. There is also the instance in which she mentions the dog that just recently died, or even the hunting of the rabbit and it subsequently being shot again as it hangs, which can symbolize the particular undoing of Evvie’s character and defilement (her rape), seeing her as just another animal and yet a victim. Buñuel has very extreme ways of portraying female sexuality, from my own observation based on also having watched Belle De Jour (1967) and That Obscure Object of Desire (1977). The main thing I would point out is that his female characters often go through a journey of “undoing”, for Evvie it was that from complete loss of innocence or in Belle De Jour it was that of exploring an extreme end of the spectrum of sexual expression. These portrayals go hand in hand with explorations of power within a social group (the farm or the brothel) yet also power struggles and repression… perhaps more in Miller and Traver’s (maybe even the Priest?) when it comes to their modes of desire.

The Young One explores Buñuel’s critiques of American values, particularly morals. What is “right” can be convinced, what is the “Christian” thing to do has guardrails that can be hopped over if reframed. There is no hero in the story, it is only one of victims. There is Traver who will no doubt still be falsely persecuted once he returns to land yet seeks safety, Evvie who might become Miller’s bride yet seeks a home, and Miller who at his core most likely desires connection, though none of these needs are realized by the end of the film.