Originally published October 9, 2023. Updated October 16, 2023.
Eileen, 2023.
Directed by William Oldroyd
Starring Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, Shea Whigham, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Sam Nivola, Tonye Patano and Owen Teague
SYNOPSIS:
A woman’s friendship with a new co-worker at the prison facility where she works takes a sinister turn.
Thomasin McKenzie’s Eileen is habitually on the cusp of something. Things that threaten to shake her from the bleak Massachusetts monotony of her life, such as moments of self-pleasure, daydreams about the guards at the prison where she works, or brutally shooting to death her alcoholic father, are snatched away from her by the cold, stark reality of her situation. That is until Anne Hathaway’s Rebecca glides into her life and triggers an awakening.
Eileen’s own scenario is one that perfectly sums up William Oldroyd’s adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s award-winning book. The longing, the expectation, the fascination of peering into this sultry, pulpy world carries the story to a tipping point, before shaking the viewer from a giddy stupor with a delicious turn of events that’ll make-or-break the movie for most.
Carrying you to the point of no return are two intoxicating performances from McKenzie and Hathaway. The former has mastered the role of someone peripherally repressed, which is perfect for Eileen’s transformation to have the impact it does. Comprised of stolen looks, awkwardness, and the occasional dose of quiet snark, you’re constantly unsure of where her breaking point is, until it arrives to jolt you out of your seat.
The catalyst for the change is Anne Hathaway, who once again throws herself into a surprising character choice with wanton abandon. Rebecca streaks into the dull palette of this world and smudges colour across Eileen’s viewfinder. It’s a golden-age echoing turn of unrestrained asides and classic mannerisms that’s as funny as it is seductive, and above all else the reason why you should watch Eileen.
It’s a performance indicative of the tone of the entire film; slightly over-the-top, hard to second-guess, and devilishly funny. There’s a playfully dark nature to the way in which this story unfolds, with jump-scares and cruelty, largely involving the terrific Shea Whigham, peppering Eileen’s blossoming, adding to the growing sense that something wicked this way comes.
It’s when it does that you’ll either be in the “come on Eileen” or “you’re kidding me” camp. The standout moment is undeniably shocking, but for those seduced into thinking they’re watching one kind of film, the shift could capsize their enjoyment of the entire film. For clarity, this reviewer embraced the final-reel mechanics with glee.
A superb the-less-you-know-the-better two-hander, with McKenzie and Hathaway delivering at opposite ends of the performance spectrum, Eileen is a short, sharp jolt of high-end trashy drama.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★
Matt Rodgers – Follow me on Twitter
