A One Mann’s Movies review of “Eileen” (2023) (from the London Film Festival).
(I’m republishing this review – first published on October 6th – since “Eileen” is now showing in UK cinemas).
Arrghh! You know that on One Mann’s Movies I very very rarely use my 5* rating. For about the first two-thirds of this film, I had the 5-star card out of my pocket and ready to apply. But then, through an utterly crazy plot-twist, the train came off the rails. The 5-star card went back into my pocket again.
As such, I am in a quandary as to what to rate this one. I’m going for….
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
It’s the mid-60’s. Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie) works as a junior assistant in a Massachusetts juvenile penitentiary called Moorhead. Outside of work, she cares for her father, Jim (Shea Whigham), an ex-police chief and Vietnam vet who has a habit of getting drunk and threatening the neighbourhood with his gun. Feeling trapped and sexually frustrated, she spends much of her life fantasising with her hand down her pants. But everything changes when the new prison psychiatrist, Rebecca (Anne Hathaway), turns up and Eileen feels a new and powerful attraction to the exotic and mysterious woman.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This has not yet been rated by the BBFC or the MPA. I would expect it would be rated a ’15’/R for violence, language and sexual content).
Talent:
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Shea Whigham, Anne Hathaway, Siobhan Fallon Hogan.
Directed by: William Oldroyd.
Written by: Luke Goebel & Ottessa Moshfegh. (Based on the book by Ottessa Moshfegh.)
Twitter Handle: #EileenMovie.
Shades of the brilliant “Last Night in Soho” with Thomasin McKenzie and a blonde Anne Hathaway dancing the night away. (Source: Universal Pictures International).
“Eileen” Review:
Positives:
- The film really takes its time in setting up its characters before our blonde bombshell arrives.
- Thomasin McKenzie (one of my favourite new actors) is just brilliant in defining the rather mousy and shy Eileen: a girl with a very sweet-tooth and with a pent up sexual frustration. As Rebecca whispers to her at one point, “Your face is plain… but fascinating”. She’s right: Ms McKenzie has a ‘girl next door look’ but has an extraordinarily expressive face.
- The character of Jim (Shea Whigham) – the ex police chief (Yes! In one sense, he’s “Chief Wigham”!) – is a pitiful creature. Damaged by war and drink, he fails to appreciate the presence of his younger daughter. (The older, married one has wisely cleared off). He puts Eileen down at every opportunity: “Get a life Eileen… get a clue” he says.
- Rebecca (Anne Hathaway) is a breath of fresh air in the musty prison atmosphere, flouting rules and trying to get to the root cause of the kid’s problems. She also has a crazy way (surely not possible!?) of opening a wine bottle!
- The film delivers some laughs and shocks in equal measure. A disastrous prison Christmas pageant is very funny. The shocks are delivered by a number of ‘fake-outs’ based on Eileen’s very active imagination.
- The relationship built between Eileen and Rebecca reminded me strongly of that between Therese (Rooney Mara) and Carol (Cate Blanchett) in Todd Hayne’s “Carol” from 2015. Here it was deliciously developed and I really wanted it to go further than it did.
Negatives:
- About two-thirds of the way through the film, there is a seriously ‘WTF’ plot-twist. “WHAT DID SHE SAY?” everyone in the screening thought! Is this one of Eileen’s fantasies? No, she really did say that and she is serious. From that point on, the film goes so far left-field that it lost credibility with me, becoming a thriller when I wanted it to stay a romantic drama. It then, for me, ended on a poorly explained outcome. Such a shame.
Summary Thoughts on “Eileen”
A film of two-halves if ever there was one. I loved “Carol“, and this one could have almost been a “Carol 2” for me AND a 5-star film. I understand it stayed pretty loyal to the book, so that’s not the filmmakers fault. But for me this was a little gem becoming something tarnished.
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Trailer for “Eileen”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grkzKN10Dhg .
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