Objectified (2009)

A feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them.

Director:

Gary Hustwit

Stars:

Paola Antonelli, Chris Bangle, Andrew Blauvelt

Cast

Credited cast:
Paola Antonelli	...	Herself - Design Curator, Museum of Modern Art (New York)
Chris Bangle	...	Himself - Former Design Director, BMW Group (Munich)
Andrew Blauvelt	...	Himself - Design Curator, Walker Art Center
Erwan Bouroullec	...	Himself - Designer (Paris)
Ronan Bouroullec	...	Himself - Designer (Paris)
Anthony Dunne	...	Himself - Designer (London)
Agnete Enga	...	Herself - Senior Industrial Designer, Smart Design
Dan Formosa	...	Himself - Design & Research, Smart Design (New York)
Naoto Fukasawa	...	Himself - Designer (Tokyo)
Jonathan Ive	...	Himself - Senior VP Industrial Design, Apple (Cupertino)
Hella Jongerius	...	Herself - Designer (Rotterdam)
Bill Moggridge	...	Himself, co-founder IDEO
Marc Newson	...	Himself - Designer (Paris)
Fiona Raby	...	Herself - Designer (London)
Dieter Rams	...	Himself - Former Design Director, Braun Kronberg (Germany)

Storyline

A feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them.

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Plot Keywords:

design | waste | trash | social documentary | production | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site PBS

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Dutch Japanese

Release Date:

22 May 2009 (UK)

Also Known As:

Nesnelesmis

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$8,668 (USA) (8 May 2009)

Gross:

$8,668 (USA) (8 May 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Plexi Productions, Swiss Dots

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Karim Rashid - Designer: [... ] Am I playing a game to show that I can differentiate
[myself from other designers]
Karim Rashid - Designer: ? Or am I actually really doing something that is contributive? Because the big issue with design is: are the things we are doing really making an effect and making change? 78% of the world is completely impractical; 78% of the world is uncomfortable. You feel it. You know, you feel that hotel rooms are poorly designed, you sit in chairs that are very uncomfortable and it's crazy. You imagine, if you design ...

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Connections

Followed by Urbanized (2011)

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Soundtracks

I Like Van Halen Because My Sisters Says They Are Cool
By El Ten Eleven

User Reviews

Engaging if not overly insightful documentary on the nature of design

I should give this film credit for what it does because, on the face of it, I have to be honest and say that when I started watching this I did so with a certain air of "why am I wasting 90 minutes of my time on a subject that holds little interest for me". You must agree that, to the casual viewer (which I am), a documentary on the nature of design is rather loose and perhaps lacks a real hook to get the punters in the door. This was my attitude at the start and I mention this because mostly I found the film to be engaging and interesting. This is mostly down to the way the film is pulled together (appropriately enough) because it has a real structure and rhythm to it that just works.

Some sections work better than others though. Anything to do with Apple is most accessible because we are all familiar with the brand as a thing of beauty and easy use and it makes the conversations around this easy to follow. Conversely the sections with the toothbrush is less so because the work being shown does not appear to be necessary or be going anywhere. Although there are some exceptions, everyone involved in the film is intelligent, well-spoken, clear and easy to listen to. There are a couple of slightly pretentious "design types" that rubbed me up the wrong way with their attitudes but otherwise I found it easy to spend time in the company of the contributors.

Ultimately the film doesn't quite provide the level of insight or passion that one might have hoped but it does engage across the admittedly quite short running time. The subject is well presented, made accessible and, as much as possible, tangible. Could have been better with more insight but for what it is it is accessible and engaging.