Eileen (film)

Last updated

Eileen
Eileen poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWilliam Oldroyd
Screenplay by
Based on Eileen
by Ottessa Moshfegh
Produced by
  • Anthony Bregman
  • Stefanie Azpiazu
  • Peter Cron
  • Luke Goebel
  • Ottessa Moshfegh
  • William Oldroyd
Starring
Cinematography Ari Wegner
Edited byNick Emerson
Music by Richard 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.

Contents

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

In 1960s Massachusetts, Eileen Dunlop works as a secretary at a corrections facility for teenage boys. At work, she is shunned by her colleagues and fantasizes about guard Randy. At home, she 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, Anne, to speak with her and Lee, but Anne 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 to 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 they are actually in the Polks' house. Rebecca, suspecting that Lee was sexually abused by his father, had arrived to question Anne. The conversation became heated, and following a scuffle during which they fell into the basement, Rebecca tied Anne up and drugged her. She now plans to coerce Anne 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, Anne 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, Anne instead enabled her husband by giving Lee an enema and bathing him before he went to bed.

As Anne finishes her story, Eileen shoots her in the shoulder; Eileen and Rebecca drug Anne 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 Anne 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 Anne 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

Production

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

Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire composed the film's score. [21] The film's soundtrack was released through Milan Records on December 1, 2023.

Release

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

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 82% 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

AwardDate of

ceremony

CategoryRecipientResultRef.
Film Independent Spirit Awards February 25, 2024 Best Supporting Performance Anne Hathaway Nominated [34]
Marin Ireland Nominated
Best Director William OldroydNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Hathaway</span> American actress (born 1982)

Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Her films have grossed over $6.8 billion worldwide, and she appeared on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2009. She was among the world's highest-paid actresses in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riley Keough</span> American actress (born 1989)

Danielle Riley Keough is an American actress. She made her feature film debut in a supporting part in the musical biopic The Runaways (2010), portraying Marie Currie. Keough subsequently starred in the independent thriller The Good Doctor (2011), before being cast in a minor role in Steven Soderbergh's comedy film Magic Mike (2012). She had her first big-budget release in the action feature Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Lessner</span> American film director

Matthew Lessner is an American artist and independent filmmaker.

<i>The Witch</i> (2015 film) Film by Robert Eggers

The Witch is a 2015 folk horror film written and directed by Robert Eggers in his feature directorial debut. It stars Anya Taylor-Joy in her feature film debut, alongside Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, and Lucas Dawson. Set in 1630s New England, its plot follows a Puritan family who encounter forces of evil in the woods beyond their farm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottessa Moshfegh</span> American author (born 1981)

Ottessa Charlotte Moshfegh is an American author and novelist. Her debut novel, Eileen (2015), won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and was a fiction finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Moshfegh's subsequent novels include My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Death in Her Hands, and Lapvona.

<i>Eileen</i> (novel) 2015 novel by Ottessa Moshfegh

Eileen is a 2015 novel by Ottessa Moshfegh, published by Penguin Press. It is Moshfegh's first novel. It won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for debut fiction and was shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize and the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award. The novel was adapted into a 2023 film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomasin McKenzie</span> New Zealand actress

Thomasin Katherin Helen Harcourt McKenzie is a New Zealand actress. After a minor role in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), she rose to critical prominence for playing a young girl living in isolation in Debra Granik's drama film Leave No Trace (2018), winning the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance.

<i>Assassination Nation</i> 2018 film by Sam Levinson

Assassination Nation is a 2018 American satirical black comedy horror thriller film written and directed by Sam Levinson. It stars an ensemble cast led by Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, and Abra. The film takes place in the fictional town of Salem, which devolves into chaos and violence after a computer hacker discovers and leaks personal secrets about many of its residents.

<i>Leave No Trace</i> (film) 2018 film directed by Debra Granik

Leave No Trace is a 2018 American drama film directed by Debra Granik. The film is written by Granik and Anne Rosellini, based on Peter Rock's 2009 novel My Abandonment, which is based on a true story. The plot follows a military veteran father with post-traumatic stress disorder who lives in the forest with his young daughter.

<i>The Last Thing He Wanted</i> (film) 2020 film

The Last Thing He Wanted is a 2020 political thriller film directed by Dee Rees, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Joan Didion, from a screenplay by Rees and Marco Villalobos. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Rosie Perez, Edi Gathegi, Mel Rodriguez, Toby Jones, and Willem Dafoe.

<i>My Year of Rest and Relaxation</i> 2018 novel by Ottessa Moshfegh

My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a 2018 novel by American author Ottessa Moshfegh. Moshfegh's second novel, it is set in New York City in 2000 and 2001 and follows an unnamed protagonist as she gradually escalates her use of prescription medications in an attempt to sleep for an entire year.

<i>Lost Girls</i> (film) American drama mystery film

Lost Girls is a 2020 American mystery drama film. Lost Girls was directed by Liz Garbus, from a screenplay by Michael Werwie, and based on the book Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker. The film revolves around the murders of young female sex workers on the South Shore barrier islands of Long Island, committed by the Long Island serial killer, who remains unknown, but for which a suspect was charged July 14, 2023.

<i>Causeway</i> (film) 2022 film by Lila Neugebauer

Causeway is a 2022 American drama film directed by Lila Neugebauer and written by Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel, and Elizabeth Sanders. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry, Linda Emond, Jayne Houdyshell, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Russell Harvard. It follows a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans.

<i>Mothers Instinct</i> (2024 film) Film by Benoît Delhomme

Mothers' Instinct is a 2024 American psychological thriller film directed by Benoît Delhomme in his directorial debut, and starring Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Anders Danielsen Lie, and Josh Charles. It is a remake of Olivier Masset-Depasse's 2018 French-language film, which itself was an adaptation of the 2012 novel Mothers' Instinct by Barbara Abel.

<i>She Came to Me</i> 2023 film by Rebecca Miller

She Came to Me is a 2023 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Rebecca Miller. It stars Peter Dinklage, Marisa Tomei, Joanna Kulig, Brian d'Arcy James, and Anne Hathaway.

<i>Theater Camp</i> 2023 film by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman

Theater Camp is a 2023 American mockumentary comedy film directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman in both of their feature directorial debuts from a screenplay by Gordon, Lieberman, Ben Platt, and Noah Galvin. A feature-length adaptation of the 2020 short film of the same name, the film follows the counselors of an underfunded theater-focused summer camp in Upstate New York as they band together with the founder's son to keep the camp afloat. It features an ensemble cast that includes Galvin, Gordon, Platt, Jimmy Tatro, Patti Harrison, Nathan Lee Graham, Ayo Edebiri, Owen Thiele, Caroline Aaron and Amy Sedaris. Will Ferrell serves as a producer under his Gloria Sanchez Productions banner.

<i>Eileen</i> (soundtrack) 2023 film score by Richard Reed Parry

Eileen is the original motion picture soundtrack to the 2023 film of the same name directed by William Oldroyd, starring Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie. The film's score is composed by Arcade Fire multi-instrumentalist Richard Reed Parry that consisted of 18 tracks and an original song written specifically for the film. Milan Records released the soundtrack on December 1, 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 "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. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.