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EROS
Released by: Warner Independent Pictures.
English, Italian & Mandarin with English subtitles.
USA/Italy/Hong Kong. 108 min. Rated: R.

“The Hand”
Directed & Written by: Wong Kar Wai.
Produced by: Jacky Pang Yee Wah & Wong Kar Wai.
Director of Photography: Christopher Doyle.
Edited by: William Chang Suk Ping.
Music by: Peer Raben.
With: Gong Li & Chang Chen.

“Equilibrium”
Directed & Written by: Steven Soderbergh.
Produced by: Gregory Jacobs.
Director of Photography: Peter Andrews.
Edited by: Mary Ann Bernard.
With: Robert Downey, Jr. & Alan Arkin.

“The Dangerous Thread of Things” Directed by : Michelangelo Antonioni.
Produced by: Stephane Tchal Gadjieff, Raphael Berdugo, Jacques Bar & Domenico Procacci.
Written by: Tonino Guerra.
Director of Photography by: Marco Pontecorvo.
Edited by: Caludio di Mauro.
Music by: Enrica Antonioni & Vinicio Milani. With: Christopher Buchholz, Regina Nemni & Luisa Ranieri.

An anthology with the theme of eroticism and desire, Eros is a tribute to Michelangelo Antonioni by two contemporary directors he influenced. Wong Kar Wai captures the unrequited love story between famous courtesan Miss Hua (Gong Li) and her tailor Zhang with a heavily dramatic, old-Hollywood feel. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's Chang Chen gives a standout performance as Zhang, who relents to his obsession by making dresses that will adorn his love's body.

Though Steven Soderbergh's approach is different from the other two directors, his quirky take on eroticism is witty and well-scripted. In “Equilibrium,” Nick Penrose (Robert Downey, Jr.), an 1950s advertisement executive, has been tormented by a recurring erotic dream about a woman whose identity he cannot recall when awake. He undergoes his first session with psychiatrist Dr. Pearl (Alan Arkin), who secretly executes a comical agenda of his own.

Antonioni's “The Dangerous Thread of Things” contemplates love in all its diverse forms, from impasse to infidelity, by following married couple Christopher (Christopher Buchholz) and Cloe (Regina Nemni) and their encounter with the younger Linda (Luisa Ranieri).

Antonioni's skill haunts the two younger directors' films. Their shot compositions and onscreen emphasis on the act of observing are some of the direct influences. Wong, together with cinematographer Christopher Doyle, delineates desire through cropped shots of Miss Hua's body and reflections in mirrors. Soderbergh uses color thematically, painting the dream sequence in blue and reality in a noir-esque black and white.

In Eros, however, the master is dispirited in both plot and cinematography, allowing his two younger disciples to surpass him. Though Antonioni's film is the most erotically charged of the three, his command of images and pace is nowhere close to his earlier works such as Blowup, in which each shot overflows with stylish energy. Nevertheless, Eros is a fine departure from contemporary emphasis on contrived plots and nonlinear narratives. The three celebrated directors engage the audience emotionally, if not sensually. Marie Iida
April 8, 2005