FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
Released by: Warner Independent Pictures. English, Italian & Mandarin with English subtitles. USA/Italy/Hong Kong. 108 min. Rated: R.
“The Hand”
“Equilibrium”
“The Dangerous Thread of Things”
Directed by : Michelangelo Antonioni.
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
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