Eileen: Film Review
I’ve always been a fan of Anne Hathaway and I’m particularly thrilled when she experiments with unusual, left-field characters.
Eileen, directed by Lady Macbeth’s William Oldroyd, is set in a harsh winter in Massachusetts in the 1960s. It follows Eileen Dunlop (Thomasin McKenzie), a prison secretary who doesn’t have much going on in her life except work and looking after her alcoholic father Jim (Shea Whigham). One day, the glamorous psychologist Rebecca (Hathaway) joins the staff at the boys’ prison and takes an instant shine to Eileen. She is thrilled to have someone take an interest in her and becomes dangerously enthralled by Rebecca.
Eileen starts off very much along the lines of 2015’s Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, thanks to the age gap between the leads and their palpable “will they won’t they” energy. Having a friend (and possibly more) and some excitement in her life helps Eileen come out of her shell and discover who she is and what she wants. But this is not a romance story, this is a psychological thriller.
After a while, the film abruptly becomes a different beast altogether. I didn’t dislike the unexpected curve ball, but it felt unearned because there wasn’t enough groundwork for it beforehand. It’s also not well followed through or given the time or the exploration it deserves. Oldroyd dropped a bomb on his story and then didn’t know how to resolve it. It’s a lot to process!
McKenzie has always been a reliable performer and she does not disappoint. Eileen’s life is so bland and drab that you can understand why she becomes infatuated with Rebecca; she’s different from most women and marches to the beat of her own drum. She’s mysterious and thrilling. But is Eileen in love with her or does she want to be her? That’s for you to figure out.
It’s easy to see why Eileen is so drawn to Rebecca – she exudes old Hollywood glamour in a dull place and your eyes can’t resist looking at her thanks to her captivating energy and fabulous hair and clothes. But what does she see in Eileen? That also becomes clear later on.
I loved the ’60s visuals – the titles and credits, the grainy picture quality – and I respected Oldroyd and writers Luke Goebel and Ottessa Moshfegh (adapting from her novel) for taking a big swing but the execution needed some work.
In cinemas from Friday 1st December