Eros (film)

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Eros is a 2004 anthology film made up of three short stories about love and sexuality. Each piece has a different director and language: The Hand by Wong Kar-wai (Mandarin), Equilibrium by Steven Soderbergh (English), and The Dangerous Thread of Things by Michelangelo Antonioni (Italian).

The Hand
In 1960s Tuscany, a young dressmaker named Zhang visits Miss Hua, a high-status call girl, to take measurements for new clothes. While waiting, Zhang hears the sounds of desire and is drawn to Hua. She seduces him and, although he falls in love, their class difference makes a relationship impossible. He continues to design dresses for her, while Hua’s life changes in ways he can’t control.

Equilibrium
Set in the 1950s, Nick Penrose, a stressed advertising executive, talks with his psychiatrist about a vivid erotic dream of a beautiful woman. Their session is interrupted by distractions outside the window. After the session, Nick comes home and discovers that the woman in his dream is actually his wife, blurring the line between dream and reality and exploring how desire affects a marriage.

The Dangerous Thread of Things
A bored couple, Christopher and Cloe, vacation near a Tuscan lake and meet a sexy young woman named Linda. They have an affair, but the story’s twist comes when Linda’s presence isn’t confined to the couple. After Christopher leaves, Linda and Cloe encounter each other naked on the beach, revealing how desire can connect and complicate lives in surprising ways.

Production notes (in brief)
Eros was conceived as a three-film project about eroticism, with Antonioni guiding the concept. Directors were invited to work freely; Almodóvar was originally attached but dropped out and was replaced by Soderbergh. Casting brought together notable actors for each segment. Filming spanned different locations and challenges: Antonioni’s piece shot in Tuscany over several weeks; Equilibrium filmed in Los Angeles; The Hand faced SARS-related issues in Hong Kong and was completed under tight time constraints.

Reception and box office
Critics were mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, about a third of reviews were positive; Metacritic’s score was around 51. Roger Ebert praised Wong Kar-wai’s segment but criticized Antonioni’s. The film opened in the U.S. on a limited number of screens and earned modestly at the box office worldwide, with total gross around $1.5 million.