The Way Things Go (1987)

Inside a warehouse, a precarious 70-100 feet long structure has been constructed using various items. When this is set in motion, a chain reaction ensues. Fire, water, law of gravity as ... See full summary »

Directors:

Peter Fischli, David Weiss

Writers:

Peter Fischli, David Weiss

Storyline

Inside a warehouse, a precarious 70-100 feet long structure has been constructed using various items. When this is set in motion, a chain reaction ensues. Fire, water, law of gravity as well as chemistry determine the life-cycle of objects - of things. It brings about a story concerning cause and effect, mechanism and art, improbability and precision.

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Plot Keywords:

chain reaction | art | rube goldberg machine | performance art | modern art | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Short

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The famous "Cog" advert by Honda, which involves all the parts of a Honda car rolling about and hitting each other to make a chain reaction, is based on this.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Rube Goldberg Machines in Movies (2015)

User Reviews

The Way This One Goes...

Every time I see this movie... I think to myself "why didn't I think of that?" It seems so easy, yet it's so complex. The rolling of tires uphill, the skyrocket speedboat, and the untwisting of plastic bags. It is crazy how interesting boring everyday objects become when they're put into a sequence that actually accomplishes... nothing! This is a wonderful film about NOTHING. It's all a setup to do NOTHING... but I see it as a metaphor for life sometimes... I go to work day in and day out and perform some meaningless tasks that relate to other people's meaningless tasks over and over again to do what? NOTHING. To just come back the next day and do it all over again. Maybe that's why I like this movie so much... I'm just another trash bag in a building unwinding over and over and over and over.....

Details

Official Sites:

Wikipedia

Country:

USA Switzerland

Language:

None

Release Date:

June 1987 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

The Way Things Go

Company Credits

Production Co:

T&C Film AG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (original)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1