Netflix Minute: Objectified

 

Netflix Minute is a weekly feature highlighting a title from Netflix's catalog of instant view films. If you want to spend a night snuggled up with a bag of popcorn and don't want to drive to the video store, this is for you.

Objectified is the brainchild of documentarian Gary Hustwit, who you might be familiar with through his previous film, Helvetica. Hustwit seems to have a craving for interviews with people that have extreme domain expertise and this film is certainly no outlier.

Hustwit tells the story design in its many aspects, most focused on how products we use every day are best fit to our needs, both aesthetically and functionally. The core message of Objectified seems to be that design is at the core of our modern culture, shaping how we approach tasks and new ideas. Whether it's playing with our iPhones while waiting in a queue or sitting in a chair at the dinner table, design is important to everyone.

Like several products described throughout, Hustwit produced this documentary with a very simple style, using very few graphics and a spartan score to highlight the themes illustrated in key dialogues. This simplicity may be to the film's detriment or benefit, given the fact that these flourishes often help keep the attention of documentary viewers. Without the flash and flair, I imagine some people may not be able to sustain a full viewing.

One of the most unique aspects of Objectified is the storytelling, the most important element of any documentary. Unlike many of his peers, Hustwit stays behind the camera at all times, leaving the interviewees with the responsibility to state their ideas. These people certainly aren't lightweights either, with notable figures like Jonathan Ive (of Apple fame), and Marc Newson among the ranks. Hustwit's editorial lurks behind the subtle ordering of different segments and the juxtaposition of views between subsequent designers. As a result, I felt variably engaged and detached based on how well or poorly each scene worked in concert with its neighbors, considering the fact that much of the intellectual legwork was left up to me.

In the end, Objectified makes a fairly cogent case for why design deserves more attention than it receives. I could easily appreciate the film's status as a work of art, adoring the minimalistic style of the editing. As an argument, Hustwit's work may be slightly more questionable, mostly due to the simplicity that sought to guide me but sometimes led to distraction. While it may not be perfect, Objectified is certainly worth a viewing, even if you only bother to watch the first ten minutes.

Score: 3 out of 5
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