Eileen

This movie had all the makings of a great film. Act 1 provided a satisfying introduction to our main cast and let us explore the intricacies of their personalities. It seamlessly eased into Act 2 with the twist that was greatly hinted at in both the trailer and the synopsis. Then once we get to the height of the climax the film ends. We get no Act 3 and no resolution to what went on in the whole film. Every single plot point was left open with too much room left to interpretation. I honestly got hooked onto these characters and invested in their lives and stories and from Act 1 to Act 2 I felt like the film had an average score of a 7 that turned into an 8, but when everything ended so suddenly that score in my head dropped to where it is now. This film really should have had another hour to explore the consequences of the character's actions whether they were allowed to lead their same lives or not. As for now, we as the audience will never know and that doesn't jive with this viewer.

To sum up my thoughts the movie was the start of something great. But since it cut off so suddenly I'm left to wonder what the point even was.

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.

Quick review: 'Eileen' is one of those films where all the pieces were there to be something great, but they just weren't quite assembled correctly. The film just comes across a little flat. There's quite a prolonged and drawn out build-up, and then the pay-off isn't quite worthy of it. I still liked the film, don't get me wrong, but I can't help feeling it could've been something more.

There are a few attempts at humour long the way, none of them really land though. And there are a couple of fake-out scenes that were truly shocking, but ultimately meant nothing unfortunately. Not a bad film, but not one I'm sure I'll remember much of a year from now. 6.5/10.

Everything about it is a tease. There is no follow through of anything. No actual sex. No love story. No real relationships. No mind bending mystery. When it finally starts to pick up and give you something. It just ends. There's very little plot. It's pretty much a coming of age film. A women finding herself. The story is brutally slow for three quarters of the film.

The movie needed to give more. It felt like I watched half of a movie. There were so many filler scenes to slowly bring you to something that had so much potential for a fulfilling film, but instead of continuing with it, the movie ends. It was like they randomly ran out of money and said "hey lets just end it here because we got nothing left in the bank"

The focus and story is all over the place hinting at something that could be, but no real plot to dig your teeth into. The film needed to keep going. It finally reached an exciting idea and twist at the end, but that shouldn't have been the end. It should have been another hour and a half of finally giving us something interesting, to go with the events that take place. If they would have continued into a deep hot love story with the two women as they kept exploring the bounds of how to play with peoples minds that would have been interesting... but no.

Anne Hathaway was amazing. She stood out like a rose in a field of dead grass. But her role/script was very incomplete and there wasn't enough of her. We never really got to see who she was. And her part in the entire thing really didn't make sense with how little they had her in the movie. There wasn't a firm story for her. She was more of a tease than anything. A quick glimpse of what Eileen hoped she could be. A role model and nothing more.

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.