Erosion (2005)

5/10

claudio_carvalho23 November 2014

In Los Angeles, Irene (Charis Michelsen) works at an advertising agency and lives a boring, loveless and sexually unsatisfying marriage with her husband Carl (Lee Holmes). When she meets the mysterious stranger Gabe (Emmanuel Xuereb), they have an erotic love affair breaking into houses of strangers and stealing their lives for a moment. Both are trying to escape from their pasts with a game that pushes them to the limit of their relationship. But reality is there and can not be forgotten.

"Erosion" is a dramatic "unerotic"-thriller about infidelity of a sexually unsatisfied woman with a promising beginning but a boring development and conclusion. One meaning of erosion is "a gradual decline of something"; in this case, of the morality of the lead character Irene. The plot keeps sexual tension but goes nowhere with the non- explicit game of the lovers. The director Ann Lu is not bold enough and in the end, "Erosion" is neither a drama or romance nor an erotic thriller. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Desejo Selvagem" ("Wild Desire")

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3/10

Dreary

yorkshire_keith7 July 2006

Once upon a time a film would tell you a story. If something in the story was extremely sordid, bloody or harrowing the director would miss this part out whilst at the same time allowing you to work out what was happening or had happened through sound or consequence or symbolism. This allowed a far wider audience to see films with really quite important messages.

Here we have the opposite method. Put together the saddest, most painful or just dull aspects of a film that would once have been tastefully left out, and challenge the audience to start trying to imagine the story. We find we can do it that way, being the imaginative creatures we are and having done the work we're pretty much told anyway gradually, but I for one found I didn't really want to. This film made me think... It made me think I'd rather be sat in front of Lethal Weapon. Now that is not good.

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3/10

I was bored and the DVD was messed up

lauriloo38c6 January 2007

I'm not really into artsy films with disjointed stories and long symbolic passages I'm supposed to mull over. The description on the DVD package made it sound like it was going to be much more exciting and sexy than it was. I thought the character progression for the woman was too abrupt. It was just too much of a string of individual scenes for me.

For some reason, as they were breaking into the costume shop the screen turned black and I thought my DVD player had stopped but the time counter was still moving. I fast-forwarded through more black, all of a sudden color bars flashed on and the scene began again but a few seconds back from where it was when it went black. Looked like a bad editing job. Yet another disappointing rental for me.

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2/10

A solid 2/10

rlange-311 January 2007

Warning: Spoilers

Possible spoilers follow, if such a thing is possible for this movie Obviously some people liked the movie and rated it highly. I cannot imagine why, but clearly the world is made up of people with different tastes and so be it.

For me, the movie was intriguing for the first ten minutes, admittedly titillating at times, but so slow as to turn into utter boredom about halfway through when the initial intrigue and minor shock eroded into pointless banality.

My sympathies to anyone finding this film "realistic". I'm in my 50s, have experienced two marriages (one of which ended in tragic death), and my share of erotic fun, adventure, and lovers along the way. So I am not unacquainted with the underlying themes here. No doubt there are some out there who are so artless, inexperienced, or inept as to find this kind of sex play of more than passing interest; I give thanks that I am not one of them. And how do you come? Oh, I break into houses and it takes about 30 seconds with a mascara pencil wielded by some guy with situational impotence. Realistic indeed. I pay for it with a blind barmaid who doesn't speak English, then can't get it up. If this is your reality you need to seek help, better lovers, and better movies.

I guess this movie would work for someone who feels the need to be depressed, bored with life, and is having problems working themselves into the mood. The failing marriage is certainly painful to see, but one has to wonder whether there really are people as dumb as these two who cannot seem to lift a finger to change things. Certainly the mysterious stranger into kink is an oft repeated theme in literature for hundreds of years. I can't recall any who broke into houses, but how is this original? Worst of all, it draaaaaaaaaaaaags painfully for the last 30 minutes. There is nothing left to hold your interest other than some guy getting the worlds fastest and most mechanical handjob on film. Just doesn't do it for me.

The one shining moment in the film was the three women at the bar comparing notes. That was hilarious and I give it credit for bumping the movie up a full half a point. Other than that, pffffft. To each his/her own. No thanks on this one.

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Powerful and memorable

sweet_chili3 August 2005

I was very glad to have the opportunity to watch this independent film at the Brooklyn International Film Festival.

The film was powerful and well made and the acting was excellent. It's an unexpected and unusual story portraying some very powerful emotions. I look forward to seeing it again and maybe can then catch many things that the director/writer carefully arranged and I missed the first time.

I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys a good film of gripping story lines and I also recommend the director's earlier film: Dreamers, it's touching in a very different way.

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1/10

Horrible

lezfordmodel10 July 2005

This movie was terrible. It was easily the worst independent movie I've ever seen.

The storyline was definitely original, however, it could have been told in 15 minutes, rather than the 90 minutes or so that we suffered through it.

We kept waiting for it to get better.

The acting is really terrible, slightly better than porn actors.

It just drags on and on, people were falling asleep left and right, and at the end we did all we could to stifle our laughs, as the writer was in the audience.

Really horrible.

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1/10

Boring

jn-046212 January 2023

Whoever wrote this film script this film's storyline is really a complete emotional mess the story starts off fine but the story starts to fall apart towards the end this film is about a married woman who meet's a stranger the man introduces her to rough sex and they end up having an affair and they end up having a sexual relationship that's until you guest it it all starts to fall apart and she has to choose between two men she both loves both the wife and her lover's lives start to fall apart this films story starts off ok but it turns into a complete mess at the end of this movie this film.

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9/10

Beautifully shot, great acting and directing

peter31315 September 2004

I saw this film and was blown away at how truthful the love scenes felt. The acting (especially Charis Michelsen) is totally convincing from beginning to end. Give it 5 minutes at the beginning and the payoff is one that you'll never forget.

It's very erotic without being graphic or lewd. It sets up simple situations between the main characters that completely draw you into their world of trysts in other peoples' homes and makes you feel nervous like someone might walk in and catch you in the midst of doing something taboo.

I loved it and hope that Ann Lu continues to make more films like this one.

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9/10

One of the most original stories I have ever seen. The movie flows beautifully.

girlapple2312 March 2005

I saw this movie without knowing what to expect. But from the beginning to the end, the movie grabs your attention and never lets go.It does so with an engrossing story line and gripping eroticism.In my opinion, this is truly one of the best original stories I have ever seen.

The acting in the film is great. All the actors are natural and believable. Emmanuel Xuereb, with the right amount of 5 o'clock shadow and sunken cheeks, is the perfect Gabe. He is both sad and so so kinky at the same time. I felt like I really cared about Gabe during the film. His pain seems to reach out from the movie screen and grabs my heart. And everyone can relate to Irene; the slightly bored working woman who desires some adventure. It is the kind of connection that makes this movie special.

I watched this with my boyfriend and he loved it as well. I recommend this movie whole heartedly

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10/10

An intriguing film for the intellectuals.

ajcleary1 August 2005

If you don't like to be spoon fed a story and instead, enjoy piecing the story together yourself, you will take great pleasure in a film like EROSION.

I saw the film at the Brooklyn International Film Festival. It opens in the middle of the story without the traditional set up. It threw me off a little at first because I didn't know anything about the characters or their conflicts or relationships. Nevertheless, after about 10 minutes, I realized why the story was told this way. Without an upfront setup, I as an audience really got to use my instinct to follow the characters, to feel their pleasure and pain, and to experience what they're going through, without passing on judgments, making assumptions, or knowing where I'm going as a participant. My favorite scene is the costume shop scene where Gabe, the lead character, delivers his monologue on his philosophy of life and the rules of Erosion. That's when I really felt the emotional connection with the character and started to really appreciate the director's choice of storytelling.

This film demands the audience's full attention, as well as participation. If you invest enough of your time and attention following the story, the reward is definitely memorable.

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10/10

Like looking into a mirror

hugh_ryn9 March 2005

I saw this movie with a friend at a benefit screening in LA a few months ago, and for days after the screening I was still thinking about it. The acting is superb, especially the lead actor who plays the role of GABE. I saw a lot of myself in that character, and that's what this movie does, it makes you think about yourself and your life whether you want to or not. The scenes of the failing marriage between the lead actress and her husband are painful to watch because of their realism. But the film isn't just a pure drama, the sex scenes and game playing are erotic and dangerous, without being graphic. The entire production is very original from beginning to end and is really what independent films are supposed to be about. This is one of the movies that's an experience that can enlighten. I encourage anyone to see it for themselves when it gets released to theaters.

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10/10

Another thoughtful film from Ann Lu

Doylesigerson1 August 2005

I read about this film drifting IMDb because I commented on the filmmakers previous film DREAMERS which I liked very much. The producer kindly sent me a copy since it was not out in the UK yet. This film is everything I expected and more. Ann Lu has again gone beneath the surface of why people do what they do as she did in her first film. The cinematography is splendid, the acting very good. The film reminded me not only of the the French New Wave, but also the work of Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky in its refusal to offer up the simple answers posed by life's questions. To be sure, I wonder if the MTV generation will understand the film's deeper aspects, but nonetheless, Lu is a filmmaker with a very promising future.

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8/10

One of the best

aburro20022 August 2005

This is one of the best indie movies that I have seen. I saw it at the Brooklyn Film Festival. The beginning of the movie was a bit slow but a patient audience got rewarded at the end. The storyline is novel and smart. The theme touches the deepest desire of everyone's mind- not satisfy with one's life and want to live another person's life. The acting are both good and so so. The leading actor, Xuereb (???, a difficult name to remember) was brilliant but the leading actress Michelsen was just OK (maybe Xuereb was just too good for her to compare with). This is not a movie for the fast action Hollywood movie seekers but for those indie lovers who have patience and intelligence. It took me some time to fully digest all messages in the movie. I spent $10 for the movie and it definitely worths the money. There is one more thing that I like about the movie. Although it has a very erotic storyline, the director did not put up any unnecessary explicit sex scenes. Well done!!!

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8/10

Worth Seeing

amyprchang3 May 2006

I recently rented Erosion from my neighborhood Hollywood Video and watched it over the weekend. It's an interesting independent film...very anti-Hollywood in terms of its storytelling style. I was originally attracted to the film by its suggestion of eroticism, but it's not until I watch the film when I realized the sexual encounters are not supposed to be for pleasure but more for pain. They are more about the psychological thrill of the moment, the fear to be caught, the voyeur that may be watching. There are not tits and ass in the film, yet it's the audience's own imagination that makes the film so provocative. We are, in a way, their partners in crime. I really enjoyed Erosion and recommend it to anyone whose imagination is not limited by the images they see and the sound they hear...

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9/10

A memorable, affecting film

mdecerbo16 August 2005

Erosion is the best kind of independent film: it takes on the themes that safe, mainstream movies steer clear of, shocks you with its honesty, and leaves you thinking for days to come.

Watching the film, you are dropped into the lives of main characters Gabe and Irene, and left to figure out what's going on-- who is the woman on Gabe's tape recorder? What has gone wrong with Irene's marriage? What brought Gabe and Irene together? Some of these questions have straightforward answers, but mostly you are left to piece things together-- just as in life. Questions of intimacy and mortality are big pieces of the puzzle, which is again just as true of life-- but much less often at the movies.

Along the way to its quietly moving ending, Erosion offers some memorable moments. Yes, it doesn't flinch at portraying sex-- which will undoubtedly not be to everyone's taste, but it's hardly gratuitous and I can't remember any nudity to speak of. More dramatic, though, are scenes like Irene almost literally flirting with Death, and a painfully tense minute at the dinner table with Irene and her estranged husband. Emmanuel Xuereb is effortless as Gabe, and clever tidbits here and there add extra realism: anyone for half a beer and half a tomato juice? Erosion is also unusual fare-- but worth seeking out.

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9/10

Desert Film Society - Palm Springs, CA hosts West Coast Premiere on 9/10/2005

Befromm21 September 2005

Members of the Desert Film Society were treated to a screening of the west coast premiere of a new film, EROSION, written and directed by Ann Lu and produced by Peiti Feng on Saturday, September 10th, 2005. The Desert Film Society in Palm Springs, CA is made up of 350 + members who are avid film enthusiasts who meet twice-monthly to screen important and sometimes undiscovered gems from the world of independents and foreign films. Filmmakers who's films are often out of the mainstream but worthy of exposure are invited and encouraged to bring their projects to the Society. EROSION did not disappoint the audience who were enthusiastic and appreciative to have the opportunity to view the latest film from these two talented filmmakers who were in attendance along with the lead actors Emmanuel Xuereb and Charis Michelsen, all who participated in a lively Q & A with the audience following the film's presentation.

EROSION is a psychological portrait of two people whose lives have left them empty and sore. The young woman is dissatisfied with her young husband and the man has been betrayed by his dying wife and his best friend. Together they cleave to each other for the purely physical and sexual release in the time they spend with each other. Only at the end of the film do we see the man begin to knit the fabric of his life together which is symbolized by his donning a red wool hat. Red, the color of life as depicted here.

Beautifully filmed and well directed, the editing has been juxtaposed to challenge our ability to link scenes together in linear fashion and the film focuses on the way these people come together for satisfaction rather than lasting coupling.

Desert Film Society Board of Directors

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9/10

The Bent Path To Freedom

tarequeh7 September 2006

Erosion is complicated tale of two relationship in distress serving as a mutual bond for Gabe (Emmanuel Xuereb) & Irene (Charis Michelsen). An intricate thread of feelings gradually develop between them, sharing common passion and lack of satisfaction. Both of them seek mental and sexual freedom through harmless breach of so called laws of our society.

The story develops slowly but strongly, depicting glimpse of the lives of the few characters. Keeps you amused, often aroused by the erotic and tasteful sexual scenes, and most importantly, pushes you into deep thinking about life and its purpose. Many will find their shadows in the characters, perhaps not as eccentric in bending the law, but yet it turns easily out to be a touching story of some our lives.

Acting is superb, Xuereb does a splendid job, so does Charis. Some of the dialogs could be made stronger, few were slightly atmosphere ruining.

Its a film that makes you sit back and re-evaluate your point of view towards social bindings and philosophy of life. Not for everyone. For those who think. A film to remember, and it deserves 9 out of 10.

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8/10

a very good film

edgarmorrisonmorrie20 September 2005

My wife and I saw this film at the Desert Film Society in Palm Springs. We just joined the society and it is a wonderful place to see new cinema. I was very much impressed with the message in this film. It's not crude despite the subject matter, and I really liked the actors, especially the lead woman. She was at the screening after and is even more beautiful in person than the picture! The director and producer were there and they answered many questions. It was interesting to get to ask them about the film and what it meant first hand. Try to see this film when it's at a theater near you and if you live in the Palm Springs area, visit the Desert Film Society, you won't be disappointed.

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8/10

beautiful melancholy

misterbels8 September 2021

I enjoyed both characters Gabe and Irene, one tormented one less. The universal always is set in the local, and probably viceversa. Of course this is not the typical American movie, and yet, it also is, in the language of course, in setting and in its loneliness. It blends very well with the oriental scenes. Just as sad.

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