AIGA Reel Design Series: Objectified

Objectified, a feature documentary about the relationship between people and things, will revisit Austin movie screens this week following an appearance at SXSW 2009. Produced by Gary Hustwit, who also brought us 2007’s font-tribute Helvetica, this engaging film exudes a vibrant energy despite the fact that it primarily focuses on inanimate objects and how they came to be.

Don’t worry, conservationists, Objectified isn’t a celebration of consumerism. It isn’t an esoteric design discussion only meant for academics, either. No, this film is all about human potential, beauty and sustainable possibility. It is about what we can do and what we should do. It is about balancing needs with aesthetics, and these turn out to be fascinating ideas on which to build a film.

Like he did in Helvetica, Hustwit succeeds in making a carefully orchestrated, highly specialized documentary that will appeal to many. If you’ve ever ooohed and ahhhhed over Apple’s shiny new line of gadgets or spent an entire afternoon in Ikea admiring the simple elegance that exists around every corner, Objectified will keep you visually enthralled. As for the intellectual appeal, this comes from talking head discussions of eco-issues, self-expression, and our favorite, the filming of a toothbrush-design brainstorming session that will make you say, “hey, what have I done to subtly but undeniably change the world lately?”

Objectified is being screened at the Alamo Ritz as part of AIGA (the professional association for design) Austin’s Reel Design series.