Mi nombre era Eileen

Eileen(2023) is a film adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh's novel of the same name, directed by William Oldroyd and starring Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie. The film follows Eileen, a lonely and unhappy young woman who works at a juvenile prison in a bleak Massachusetts town in 1964. Her life changes when she meets Rebecca, a glamorous and charismatic psychologist who takes an interest in her. Eileen becomes obsessed with Rebecca and gets involved in a dark and twisted plot that will test her loyalty and morality.

The film has some strengths, such as the performances of the two leads, the atmospheric cinematography, and the faithful adaptation of the source material. Hathaway and McKenzie deliver nuanced and compelling portrayals of their complex characters, showing their vulnerability, charisma, and unpredictability. The film also captures the mood and tone of the novel, creating a sense of claustrophobia, isolation, and desperation. The film does not shy away from the disturbing and shocking aspects of the story, which may appeal to fans of the book.

However, the film also has some weaknesses, such as the slow and uneven pacing, the lack of tension and suspense, and the unsatisfying and implausible ending. The film takes too long to establish the characters and the setting, and then rushes through the climax and the resolution. The film fails to generate enough interest and intrigue in the relationship between Eileen and Rebecca, and the motivations and actions of the characters are not well-explained or justified. The film also deviates from the novel in some key aspects, such as the ending, which may disappoint or confuse some viewers.

Overall, Eileen(2023) is a film that has some merit, but also some flaws. It is a faithful adaptation of a novel that may not translate well to the screen. It is a film that may appeal to some, but not to others. It is a film that tries to be a psychological thriller, but ends up being a solemn and anticlimactic oddity.

This movie made no sense.

At first I thought it had a vibe similar to Saltburn that I have just seen. With its themes of pier pressure, parental expectations and a twisty turning plot, Eileen starts with the bookish, socially awkward main character drifting in and out of reality.

Anne Hathaway comes along along and leads us to believe that their relationship will develop into something more than a colleague based relationship. Just when when we think things might develop into something the film has been foreshadowing, the movie takes a ridiculous turn into left field and further oblique turns after that.

The build up made no sense with how the movie turned out. Everything in the movie was well done up until the plot, which makes no sense. Best avoided.

This film is quite dark. Definitely leave the kiddos at home for this one. The audience I was with, found itself snickering at the absurdity of some of the events that take place though. Thomasin McKenzie does a great job playing the awkward main character who can be darkly comedic at times. I thoroughly enjoyed her New England accent in this. She will most certainly win more acting awards in her future.

Anne Hathaway is very pleasing to the eye as a blonde in this and her character is perfect for this noir film. She does not disappoint.

The movie does a fantastic job of keeping the viewer wondering what will happen. Like most other reviews have disclosed, there is a chilling twist. It sends the movie in a completely different direction that is almost guaranteed to be unpredictable to anyone seeing it for the first time.

Thomasin McKenzie is quite good as the eponymous, rather timid, prison secretary who lives a rather pedestrian life watching the couples make out in the car-park, or fantasising about a quickie with one of her colleagues, before returning home to her retired cop/dipso father replete with two bottles! The arrival of new psychologist "Rebecca" (Anne Hathaway) injects a little life into her dull routine. This assertive sophisticate takes an interest in "Eileen", they go for a drink - there's even some flirting - before "Rebecca" shares a secret with her new friend that involves a young man in prison accused of the brutal murder of his father, and of just what his mother might know of the crime and it's causes. The first hour is quite intriguing but that sense of anticipation is let down by a last half hour that is really quite undercooked and the denouement, well that is just incomplete - on just about every level. The acting and writing is fine - nothing more, but I left the screening thinking that something was missing. What exactly was the point here? It's a good looking film - effort has certainly gone into the aesthetic but I'm not sure I'm really any the wiser.

I wish I hadn't watched this movie back-to-back with Saltburn; I would have liked more time between viewings before seeing so many similar character traits and situations. Eileen kept me interested throughout the runtime, mostly thanks to Thomasin McKenzie. A less interesting performer could have rendered this completely skippable. The movie spends a lot of time establishing what Eileen's life is like, and those details drew me in to the story. Then, Anne Hathaway's character is introduced, and the plot begins to take off. As the action continued to build, I really wanted to see where everything would end up. However, I was disappointed by the resolution; I felt like most of what we had learned about the characters became unimportant as a result of their final choices. It was hard not to feel like I had wasted my time when the credits came up because it was such an unsatisfying way to end things. It prevents me from being able to recommend this movie to anyone. I don't regret watching it, but I was definitely let down.