Eileen

Eileen

During a bitter 1964 Massachusetts winter, young secretary Eileen becomes enchanted by Rebecca, the glamorous new counselor at the prison where she works. Their budding friendship takes a twisted turn when Rebecca reveals a dark secret — throwing Eileen onto a sinister path.

  • Released: 2023-01-21
  • Runtime: 98 minutes
  • Genre: Crime, Drama, Thrillers
  • Stars: Tonye Patano, Marin Ireland, Julian Gavilanes, Anne Hathaway, Jefferson White, Mark Havlis, Shea Whigham, Owen Teague, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Thomasin McKenzie, Lauren Yaffe, Mason Pettograsso, Myra Thibault, Sam Nivola, William Hill, Patrick Noonan, Matt Berman
  • Director: William Oldroyd
 Comments
  • robert-temple - 3 July 2024
    Horrible film, magnificent actress
    This is a disgusting film about twisted people doing twisted things, and only worth watching to see the outstanding performance by the brilliant 23 year-old actress Thomasin McKenzie. She is able to enter into a character so completely that she really becomes the person. She is a New Zealander by origin, from an acting family. She has already appeared in 34 films and we can expect her to become one of the world's leading cinema actresses. Anne Hathaway plays the other leading role and does an excellent job of it. But it is McKenzie who shines. As for the film itself, why make such a negative thing? I suppose because the producer is also the author of the screenplay and of the novel upon which it was based. Her name is Ottessa Moshfegh, and she has set this story in her home turf of Massachusetts. I think she needs to take a year off for rest and relaxation.
  • paulforbes-1 - 17 May 2024
    A sleeper
    Everything moves slow in this film until the last 15 minutes where everything happens quickly. It is a rewarding wait. It is a psychological thriller with a study in character, especially otherwise normal behavior that suddenly turns violent. We get immersed in Eileen's miserable life. The cold, snowy, dark and bleak scenes complete with icicles falling and cutting you. Even the weather is against you. It is tough going in the beginning of the film, but we get glimpses of violent action that is to come as she fantasizes about sex and breaking free from her rigid existence. I didn't see this as a lesbian film. Eileen is more into adulation and emulation than attraction. Rebecca is also bored and lonely, but not necessarily a lesbian if all you have as an alternative are the drunk, drooling miscreants in the one bar in town. The young boy in the institute is of extreme interest to Rebecca. He showed no signs of violent behavior until he violently murdered his father. "What did his father do to him, that caused him to act in that way" she muses. In the final scene, Eileen confronts the reality of her own drunk father who if he doesn't molest her certainly thought about it and like the surviving parent of the murderous boy, selfishly cares more about his own needs than that of his child. It is too much for her and she breaks, but it is breaking free. Like her idol Rebecca, and now without her, she is her own woman who doesn't need others to do and get what she wants. She has been shown the way.