Eros (2004)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Directors:

Michelangelo Antonioni
Steven Soderbergh

Writers:

Michelangelo Antonioni (book) (segment "The Dangerous Thread of Things")
Michelangelo Antonioni (story) (segment "The Dangerous Thread of Things")

Release Date:

3 December 2004 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Three visionary directors. One erotic journey.

Plot:

Three short films -- one each from directors Michelangelo Antonioni, Steven Soderbergh and Wong Kar Wai -- address the themes of love and sex.

Plot Keywords:

Anthology | Sex | Dream | Pressure At Work | Tailor

Cast

Li Gong	...	Miss Hua (segment "The Hand")
Chen Chang	...	Zhang (segment "The Hand")
Feng Tien	...	Master Jin (segment "The Hand") (as Tin Fung)
Luk Auntie	...	Hua's Servant - Ying (segment "The Hand") (as Auntin Luk)
Jianjun Zhou	...	Hua's Lover - Zhao (segment "The Hand")
Wing Tong Sheung	...	Tailor (segment "The Hand")
Kim Tak Wong	...	Tailor (segment "The Hand")
Siu Man Ting	...	Tailor (segment "The Hand")
Lai Fu Yim	...	Tailor (segment "The Hand")
Cheng You Shin	...	Tailor (segment "The Hand")
Wing Kong Siu	...	Tailor (segment "The Hand")
Kar Fai Lee	...	Tailor (segment "The Hand")
Chi Keong Un	...	Hotel Concierge (segment "The Hand")
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Nick Penrose (segment "Equilibrium")
Alan Arkin	...	Dr. Pearl / Hal (segment "Equilibrium")

Also Known As:

Eros (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content including graphic nudity, and for language.

Runtime:

104 min | Argentina:108 min

Country:

USA | Italy | Hong Kong | China | France | Luxembourg | UK

Language:

English | Italian | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Taiwan:R-18 | Brazil:16 | Belgium:KT | Canada:14A | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Italy:T | Argentina:16 | Hungary:16 | UK:15 | South Korea:18 | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-15 | Singapore:R21 | USA:R

Company:

Roissy Films

Soundtrack:

Concerto Alevta

One great film among two lesser.

I rather enjoy watching short films. Like short stories, there's seldom room for more than one good idea, so that idea has to be done well--in the hands of a skilled director, this is an opportunity rather than a limitation. Eros is a collection of three such films, ostensibly sharing a similar theme.

Wong Kar Wai's "The Hand" is the first film, and is a premiere example of what a short film can achieve. A concise story about a tailor and a high class prostitute, "The Hand" distills the love/lust theme into a beautiful, intoxicating gem. It is by far the best film of the bunch, perhaps even one of the director's finest.

Steven Soderbergh's "Equilibrium" is the second film in the trio, and features a few shots of a naked woman and a long and unrelated dialog between Robert Downey Jr and Alan Arkin. As far as I can tell the film has vanishing little to do with love, lust, passion or sex--and not much else to say about anything. Soderbergh, who's often hit-or-miss, misses big time with this convoluted short.

Michelangelo Antonioni's "Dangerous thread" (or however it is properly translated) is quite different from the previous two films. It is certainly on message, featuring lots of full frontal nudity and some sex, but doesn't really have much of a story. It actually feels like it is much closer to succeeding than "Equilibrium", if only because it seems to fit comfortably within its time constraints, but the vacuous plot leaves you bored.

In the end Eros is a missed opportunity. After the first film you expect a beautiful tapestry of ideas and perspectives, but it never materializes. Nevertheless, the first film is well worth watching--easily justifying a rental or screening.