Erotikon

Mauritz Stiller’s 1920 masterwork, Erotikon, functions as a sophisticated dissection of marital ennui and the polyamorous impulses of the Swedish elite. The narrative centers on Irene, the neglected spouse of Leo Charpentier—a man whose passion for beetles far exceeds his interest in matrimonial intimacy. As Irene navigates a flirtatious orbit around the hedonistic aviator Baron Felix, she concurrently grapples with a latent, perhaps more profound, affinity for Preben, her husband’s confidant. This domestic carousel is further complicated by Leo’s own questionable preoccupation with his niece, Marthe. Stiller constructs a visual symphony of leers, glances, and calculated indiscretions, transforming the screen into a playground of subversive wit that predates the Lubitsch touch. The film eschews the moralizing heavy-handedness typical of the era, opting instead for a celebratory look at the complexities of human desire and the fragility of the nuclear family unit.