Eileen (film)

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Eileen
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWilliam Oldroyd
Screenplay by
Based onEileen
by Ottessa Moshfegh
Produced by
  • Anthony Bregman
  • Stefanie Azpiazu
  • Peter Cron
  • Luke Goebel
  • Ottessa Moshfegh
  • William Oldroyd
Starring
CinematographyAri Wegner
Edited byNick Emerson
Music byRichard Reed Parry
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • January 21, 2023 (2023-01-21) (Sundance)
  • December 1, 2023 (2023-12-01) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.7 million[3][4]

Eileen is a 2023 psychological thriller film directed by William Oldroyd, based on the 2015 novel by Ottessa Moshfegh, who co-wrote the screenplay with her husband, Luke Goebel. A co-production between the United States and the United Kingdom, the film stars Thomasin McKenzie, Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland, Owen Teague, and Anne Hathaway. Set in 1960s Massachusetts, the story trails the relationship between two women working at a juvenile detention facility.

Eileen premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023, and was released in select theaters in the United States on December 1, 2023, by Neon, before expanding wide on December 8, 2023. It received positive reviews from critics.

Plot[edit]

In Massachusetts during the 1960s, Eileen Dunlop is a young woman working in a corrections facility for teenage boys. At work, Eileen is shunned by her colleagues and fantasizes about one of the guards. At home, Eileen lives with her widowed and alcoholic father, Jim, a former chief of police who suffers from paranoia and is emotionally abusive towards her. Eileen frequently daydreams about killing herself and her father.

A new psychologist, Rebecca Saint John, joins the prison staff. Eileen is immediately drawn to Rebecca's intellectual conversation and glamorous appearance. Rebecca begins working with an inmate, Lee Polk, who was imprisoned for stabbing his father to death. Rebecca invites Lee's mother, Rita, to speak with her and Lee, but Rita soon leaves distraught after Lee refuses to speak with her. That evening, Rebecca invites Eileen to a local bar. Following a night of drinking and dancing, Rebecca kisses Eileen before leaving.

The next morning, Eileen wakes in her car to find that Jim has locked her out of the house. As she cleans vomit from the seat of her car, a local policeman arrives to inform her that the neighbors have raised complaints about Jim's violent and erratic behavior. As a consequence, Jim has agreed to relinquish his gun into Eileen's care. At work, Eileen is upset to learn that Rebecca has already left for the Christmas holiday. Eileen spends the day sleeping at Rebecca's desk.

On Christmas Eve, Eileen receives a call from Rebecca, inviting her to her house for drinks. When Eileen arrives, they share a drink, but a panicked Rebecca eventually reveals that they are actually in the Polks' house. Rebecca, suspecting that Lee was sexually abused by his father, had arrived to question Rita. The conversation became heated and, following a scuffle during which they fell into the basement, Rebecca tied Rita up and drugged her. She now plans to coerce Rita into admitting involvement in her son's abuse, with Eileen as a witness. Eileen reluctantly agrees to help, retrieving her father's gun from her car.

In the basement, Rita breaks down after being threatened by Eileen. She admits that, although initially oblivious to her husband's abuse of Lee, she eventually became aware after walking in on her husband in Lee's room. Feeling powerless to stop the abuse, and enjoying her husband's renewed interest in her, Rita instead enabled her husband by giving Lee an enema and bathing him before he went to bed.

As Rita finishes her story, Eileen shoots her in the shoulder; Eileen and Rebecca drug Rita into unconsciousness. Amid Rebecca's unease, Eileen suggests framing Jim for the shooting and running away together, confessing her love for Rebecca. The two load Rita into Eileen's car, and agree to meet at Eileen's house. Rebecca does not show up, and as dawn breaks, Eileen drives to a remote forest and leaves the still-drugged Rita in her car, which fills with engine smoke. Eileen then returns to the main road and hitches a ride, smiling to herself as she leaves the town.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

In August 2016, it was revealed that Erin Cressida Wilson was adapting the novel Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh for Fox Searchlight and producer Scott Rudin.[5] The novel was ultimately adapted by Moshfegh and her husband Luke Goebel,[6] with Fox Searchlight no longer involved. The mayor of Metuchen, New Jersey, Jonathan Busch, first confirmed that Anne Hathaway, Thomasin McKenzie, and Shea Whigham would have roles in the film.[7][8][9] Filming commenced in late 2021 in Metuchen with filming locations also including South Amboy, New Jersey.[10][11][12][13] It was one of a succession of productions that Hathaway was filming in New Jersey in 2021 and 2022.[14][15][16]

Principal photography on the production was completed in February 2022. It was confirmed that Owen Teague and Marin Ireland had been added to the cast and that Endeavor Content and WME Independent were selling distribution rights.[17] Author of the novel and the screenplay Moshfegh was quoted as saying it was "a very faithful adaptation of the tone" of her original work.[18] In June 2022, she confirmed the edit was locked-in and said that McKenzie as Eileen was "amazing. It's like she was born to play that role, she's just so exciting to watch. And Anne Hathaway plays Rebecca, the sort of femme fatale character. I mean, we're watching it again today and the first cut of it, I was like, 'This is so much better than my book.' So the movie is really satisfying, I'm excited about that."[19] Moshfegh said bringing her writer husband Luke Goebel into the script writing process made the script better because he was able to add another perspective to the story. They began writing drafts during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 and avoiding seasonal wildfires from Oregon to Pasadena to Palm Springs with Moshfegh saying to Vanity Fair, "There was a sense of looming danger haunting us, which actually really helped the writing process." Hathaway described the project as "Carol meets Reservoir Dogs".[20]

Music[edit]

Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire composed the film's score.[21]

Release[edit]

Eileen began a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 1, 2023, before expanding wide a week later (December 8).[22] The film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023.[23] In March 2023, Neon acquired North American distribution rights to the film for $15 million.[24][25] In July 2023, Focus Features acquired worldwide distribution rights outside North America to the film, with its parent Universal Pictures handling distribution on its behalf and the film being slated for a theatrical release in the United Kingdom and Ireland on the same day as its limited release in the United States.[1]

Reception[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 190 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie prove a well-matched duo in Eileen, which honors its source material with a twisty tale of obsession."[26] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[27]

Following its premiere at Sundance, David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called Eileen "a film both malevolent and playful, morbidly funny and disturbing", commending the screenplay, direction, cinematography and cast performances.[28] In his review for IndieWire, Ryan Lattanzio called it a "perverse folie à deux" and lauded the "immensely detailed" direction and cinematography, as well as the "career-best" performances of the leads.[29] In Variety, Jessica Kiang called the film "wildly audacious, wondrously twisted" and "deliciously deranged", stating: "The moviemaking terminology is apt, because this is a film that is practically drunk on the possibilities of cinema, pumping a recklessly modern energy through a plethora of classical Hollywood genres […] It moves, sometimes sinuously, sometimes with lurching abruptness, from Sirkian romantic melodrama to film noir into black-comedy horror, coming to rest somewhere in the realms of one of the more effed-up Hitchcock thrillers."[30]

In Rolling Stone, K. Austin Collins observed that "Eileen is quick enough on its feet that there's more pleasure than impatience to watching it spin its web somewhere in the direction of the obvious" and praised Oldroyd's direction in contrast to Todd Haynes' similar film Carol.[31] In her review for Vox, Alissa Wilkinson remarked: "Eileen is the kind of drama that feels like it’s got dirt beneath its fingernails […] [It] is dank and disturbing and, when you’re in the mood for something that will mess you up, exactly right".[32] Conversely, Benjamin Lee of The Guardian admired Hathaway's "pitch-perfect" performance, but revealed that he found himself "craving a little bit more oddity from a film, and characters, that hinted at a more daring and depraved destination".[33]

Awards[edit]

Award Date of

ceremony

Category Recipient Result Ref.
Film Independent Spirit Awards February 25, 2024 Best Supporting Performance Anne Hathaway Nominated [34]
Marin Ireland Nominated
Best Director William Oldroyd Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Focus acquires international rights to 'Eileen' starring Anne Hathaway, Thomasin McKenzie". Screen International. July 11, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  2. ^ "Eileen (15)". British Board of Film Classification. October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  3. ^ "Eileen". The Numbers. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  4. ^ "Eileen". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  5. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (August 2, 2016). "'Girl on the Train' Writer to Adapt Hot Novel 'Eileen' for Fox Searchlight, Scott Rudin (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  6. ^ Pirovic, Jasmine (June 28, 2022). "Ottessa Moshfegh's 'Eileen' is being turned into a film and Anne Hathaway is onboard". Russh. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Hastings, Christobel (January 11, 2022). "Eileen: Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie will star in a new film adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh's novel". Stylist. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  8. ^ Simich, Ricardo (January 22, 2022). "Spy:Mayor accidentally reveals Kiwi star's new role with Hollywood A-Lister". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  9. ^ Kasule, Melissa (January 6, 2022). "Anne Hathaway drama doubles New Jersey for New England". KFTV.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Kuperinsky, Amy (February 9, 2022). "'Eileen,' another Anne Hathaway movie, is filming in N.J." NJ.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  11. ^ Intersimone, Jenna (January 5, 2022). "A new Anne Hathaway movie is being filmed at a South Amboy bar this week". Courier News. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  12. ^ Thomas, Kayla (January 6, 2022). "Parts Of New Jersey To Shut Down This Week For Anne Hathaway Movie". WPST. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  13. ^ Fallo, Robert; Mooney, John (January 7, 2022). "Oscar Winning-Actress Anne Hathaway Films New Movie in South Amboy". TAPinto. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  14. ^ Meltzer, Marisa (March 22, 2022). "Anne Hathaway on Finding New Purpose and Acting Out WeWork's Real-Life Drama". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  15. ^ Kuperinsky, Amy (June 27, 2022). "Anne Hathaway back in N.J. filming 'Mothers' Instinct' thriller with Jessica Chastain". NJ.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  16. ^ Kuperinsky, Amy (January 19, 2022). "See Anne Hathaway in new series about the fall of WeWork". NJ.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  17. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 4, 2022). "Anne Hathaway & Thomasin McKenzie Thriller 'Eileen' Launches Sales At EFM Via Endeavor Content & WME Independent". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  18. ^ Pierce, Barry (June 17, 2022). "The macabre mind of Ottessa Moshfegh". i-D. Vice Media. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  19. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (June 13, 2022). "The evolution of Ottessa Moshfegh". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  20. ^ Canfield, David (January 19, 2023). "Inside Eileen, a Gorgeously Strange Ottessa Moshfegh Adaptation". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  21. ^ "Sundance 2023 Composer Spotlight:Richard Reed Parry". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 28, 2023). "Anne Hathaway Neon Thriller 'Eileen' Sets Q4 Release". Deadline. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  23. ^ Patten, Dominic; D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 7, 2022). "Sundance Film Festival Lineup Set With Ukraine War, Little Richard, Michael J. Fox, Judy Blume Docs; Pics With Anne Hathaway, Emilia Clarke, Jonathan Majors; More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 24, 2023). "NEON Acquires Domestic Rights To Anne Hathaway Sundance Movie 'Eileen'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  25. ^ "Neon Buys Anne Hathaway, Thomasin McKenzie Thriller 'Eileen'". Variety. March 24, 2023.
  26. ^ "Eileen". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 8, 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  27. ^ "Eileen". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  28. ^ Rooney, David (January 22, 2023). "'Eileen' Review: Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie Burn Up the Screen in Supremely Stylish Psychological Thriller". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  29. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (January 22, 2023). "'Eileen' Review: Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie Are Career-Best in a Perverse Folie à Deux". IndieWire. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  30. ^ Kiang, Jessica (January 22, 2023). "'Eileen' Review: Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie Excel in a Wildly Audacious, Wondrously Twisted Period Psychodrama". Variety. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  31. ^ Collins, K. Austin (January 25, 2023). "'Eileen' Is Anne Hathaway's Sexiest Turn in Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  32. ^ Wilkinson, Alissa (January 31, 2023). "17 movies to watch out for in 2023". Vox. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  33. ^ Lee, Benjamin (January 22, 2023). "Eileen review – Anne Hathaway transfixes in off-kilter thriller". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  34. ^ "Nominees". Film Independent. Retrieved February 26, 2024.

External links[edit]

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