Eros
Joe Nguyen, staff writer
July 8, 2005

Synopsis
"Eros" is a three-part anthology film about eroticism and desire by a trio of world cinema's outstanding directors, Wong Kar Wai, Steven Soderbergh and Michelangelo Antonioni. The film also serves as an homage by two younger directors, Wong and Soderbergh, to Antonioni who has informed and inspired their work.

Review
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect coming into this movie. I had heard some buzz on the internet about this project and it intrigued me, but since it was the summer, my mind was on big explosions rather than what looked to be an erotic “artsy” film.

The first of the three shorts was by Wong Kar Wai ("In the Mood for Love," "2046") entitled, "The Hand." It was about a young tailor named Zhang (Chen Chang) who develops an attraction to Miss Hua (Gong Li) after listening in on a fit of passion. He never lets on his feelings and just continues to make clothes for her as time goes on. It’s a touching film, but its frustrating watching him, who appears to be a good man, fall for someone with low moral standards. Miss Hua, plain and simple, is a gold-digger. I found myself rooting for Zhang to abandon his faithfulness to her and go find a nice girl

Chen Chang and Gong Li in "Eros"

The second short was by Steven Soderbergh ("Ocean’s Eleven," "Traffic") entitled, “Equilibrium.” This was simply hilarious. Robert Downey Jr. plays Nick Penrose, a man who goes to a psychiatrist because things are troubling him: pressure in his advertising job and recurring dreams about a woman. As Penrose describes his dream, the psychiatrist grabs a pair of binoculars and peers out the window. Out of the three shorts, this was easily the most light-hearted and entertaining.

If the movie were to stop right here, I’d say the film would pretty decent. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of it...

The final short was by Michelangelo Antonioni entitled, “The Dangerous Thread of Things.” The best way to describe this is, 30 minutes of unnecessary, gratuitous nudity. Then there’s the weird naked dance session on the beach at the end. I couldn’t help but laugh because I was so confused.

Let’s recap: The first third was decent, the second third was really good, and the final third was atrocious. If you go see this movie, leave after “Equilibrium,” you’ll save yourself a lot of confusion.

Joe gives "Eros":

Joe Nguyen is a staff writer for asiaXpress.com. You can reach Joe at joe@asiaxpress.com.

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