‘Eileen’ Movie Review [Sundance 2023]: Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway Drama Lacks Cohesion
Based on the book of the same name by Ottessa Moshfegh, Eileen made some noise at its announcement of playing at the Sundance Film Festival 2023. Director William Oldroyd found success in the icy 2016 Lady Macbeth starring Florence Pugh, making him a suitable choice to bring Causeway screenwriter Luke Goebel’s script to life. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t quite reach expectations, even despite its formidable cast.
‘Eileen’ finds a friendship taking a sinister turn
Eileen (Last Night in Soho‘s Thomasin McKenzie) is a strange young Bostonian woman in the 1960s who lives out each day of her life in dissatisfaction. She spends her dreary days between her father’s (Shea Whigham) bleak home that’s emotionally draining her and the prison where she works at. However, Eileen’s colleagues long since alienated her, causing her to constantly feel like an outsider.
An alluring woman named Rebecca (Anne Hathaway) joins the prison staff working as a psychologist, who commands everybody’s attention when she enters a room. Eileen feels an immediate connection, hoping to develop a friendship or potentially something more. Little does she realize, the entrancing older woman is about to entangle her in a dangerous web that will change her life forever.
A drama-turned-thriller
Eileen lives a fairly gloomy existence between her professional and private lives. As a result, she disappears deeper into her own mind, indulging in her daydreams and fantasizing about her life bursting into color with wild antics. The young woman’s sexual curiosity explodes into a sort of awakening before Rebecca even shows up, as she imagines raunchy public sex with the guards. However, none of that can compare to the curiosities that whisper to her once Rebecca arrives.
Goebel’s screenplay speaks to dysfunctional families and how they have a long-term effect on a person. Eileen must deal with her frequently drunk, ex-cop father, who is a proven danger to himself and others. He’s frequently waving a gun around, making others in the community feel unsafe. Meanwhile, Eileen and the police officers who know him are forced to deal with his outbursts. An inmate’s violent crimes against his own parents echo Eileen’s own desires to be rid of her father, as Rebecca treads deeper down the rabbit hole of her patient’s motives.
The new prison psychologist does more than tap into the psyche of the prison inmate population, as she also awakens something inside of Eileen. The young woman comes to life more than ever before, as Rebecca encourages her to live a little. What initially appears to be harmless fun and flirtatious turns into something much darker. Eileen’s father notices this change, as he becomes a greater danger, which is mirrored in the places where Rebecca takes Eileen’s mind.
‘Eileen’ is a schlocky thriller that its performances can’t save
Oldroyd finds a visual balance between the warmth between Eileen and Rebecca, and the coldness that only further pushes the young protagonist into the darkness. Richard Reed Parry’s score lends well to Eileen‘s tone, providing a fittingly mysterious and dramatic edge to the unfolding narrative.
There’s no denying the similarities between Eileen and Todd Haynes’ Carol. They explore similar relationship dynamics between their two leads, and they even both take place over Christmas. However, it never manages to strike the compelling chord that Carol did, even though it also supports a very capable cast. McKenzie is solid in the title role, but Hathaway steals the show as the mysterious Rebecca. Meanwhile, Marin Ireland makes full use of her small screen time as the mother of a prison inmate.
Eileen is a lopsided dramatic thriller that aims for tawdry shock value over a cohesive narrative. Oldroyd is a talented filmmaker, and he once again proves that he’s able to draw powerful performances from his cast. His sophomore effort is competently made from a technical standpoint, but its storytelling and characterizations fall short.
