Erosion (2005)

Excellent, a Must See

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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...

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

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.

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.