Featuring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hataway, Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland, Owen Teague
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Director: William Oldroyd
In Cinemas: 1st December 2023
Based on the book of the same name by literary powerhouse Ottessa Moshfegh, Eileen follows a peculiar young woman whose dreary life stretches toward unending misery. In frigid 1960s Boston, Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie) shuffles between her father’s dingy, emotionally haunted home and the prison where she works alongside colleagues who have ostracised her. When an intoxicating woman (Anne Hathaway) joins the prison staff, Eileen is taken. When the possibility of a salvational friendship (or maybe more) forms a singular glimmer in Eileen’s darkness, her newfound confidant entangles her in a shocking crime that alters all.
Often, the film takes its time when developing and building characters and situations. At the start, when we are first introduced to Eileen (McKenzie), there is an immediate understanding that her life is quite frustrating and morbid while dealing and living with her paranoid alcoholic father (Whigham). But it creates a habit of explaining things leisurely, and then it becomes slightly distracting to connect with the characters, as their background could have been fleshed out more engagingly. The film comes to life when the relationship between Eileen and Rebecca (Hathaway) starts to develop; the movie focuses solely on the impact of each other’s traits. The familiar personas of each woman begin to fade and change when they interact with each other. Because of Rebecca’s impression of her life, Eileen’s perspective and attitude towards her current circumstances and values change. She almost considers Rebecca a role model, building a fascinating likelihood and demeanour towards her. This is, without a doubt, the more engaging part of the movie, even when it takes a steady approach of not hurrying and gliding over the more detailed part of the story. The chemistry between the two unfolds charismatically, and you quickly realise the influence each person is getting from the other.
But, at other moments, it does not become evident in what direction the relationship is heading, much like a guessing game. This contentedness is always applied to Eileen; this realisation of being satisfied and accepting of her current uneventful life., in this timeframe of the 1960s, would have been challenging to change and occupy a different stance to modern day culture and society compared to the present day, were boredom can be quickly resolved. The film always gives her a glimpse of something waiting for her with her active imagination. There are many humourous moments throughout the film where Eileen visualises and fantasises about her preferred scenarios, entirely different from her reality, which keeps her occupied and distracted from the burden and grasp of her unfavourable present existence. When Rebecca enters her life, she feels she could never obtain that aura. The film can occasionally test your tolerance when trying to piece together the puzzle and learning more about the foundations of certain character decisions. Rebbeca has a stated motivation triggered by her occupation as a psychiatrist, and when this begins to develop, it becomes worthwhile for a particular fantastic final scene. This changes the dynamic between the characteristics and motives of each woman.
When the credits begin to roll, the overall message becomes unclear and warrants a further explanation. The exploration into Eileen’s life almost felt pointless, as the film spends considerable time building her character to a comprehensive level of detail. By the end, the meaning of her motives and actions becomes questionable because we begin to understand that there is no concrete, understandable reason for her conclusion, and it leaves us confused. It almost felt like the film didn’t have a credible ending and needed something to finish the story. Some great performances are embedded into high-tension scenes; notably, Marin Ireland gives a masterclass in acting with her honest and believable display during an emotional dialogue. The Cinematography is undoubtedly one of the main highlights of Eileen. Ari Wegner masterfully and effortlessly displays this beautiful, crafty look in almost every scene. These gorgeous close-ups of characters use a deep orange colour that stands and pops out of the screen; the score is also memorable.
Overall: 6.5/10
Movie Reviewer
