Eileen is the sort of story that takes one narrative build up in act one to deliver on a very different act two which inverts the first half yet concludes the arc of the characters. Director Oldroyd doesn't quite mesh the two in a way that was completely satisfying for me, but I appreciated the journey and the way he uses the story to find light in darkness.
In act one we meet the titular Eileen and learn of her rather sad life, her only joy found in sexual fantasy that even doesn't quite... satisfy. McKenzie (similarly to how she lays bare her character in Last Night in Soho) is dowdy and withheld, masking a rage beneath her eyes which is begging to be set loose. Then she meets the glamorous Rebecca who Hathaway plays with a combination of bravado and vulnerability which is pitch perfect. The story begins to play out as a repressed romance.
But it all comes to head on Christmas Eve when the tables are turned and an extreme situation puts Eileen in the driver seat over a timid and regretful Rebecca. And its in those moments we see who these women really are. The film is a coming into her own for Eileen in a violent way and she finds the strength to finally leave it all behind.
For me the film doesn't quite justify the extremeness of its narrative. I didn't quite buy how they get there. I wish the film had found a way to make it feel more organic. But I loved the performances of the two leads and their dynamics together. Hathaway is often best when she's a bit shady and McKenzie has this fascinating way of being fragile and strong at the same time. Despite the film not quite nailing its twist, I still found it incredible riveting and satisfying especially in how it balanced bleakness with optimism in both its story and conclusion.
Eileen
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Thomasin McKenzie, Shaea Whigham, Marin Ireland, Siobhan Fallon Hogan
Director: William Oldroyd
Writers: Luke Goebel, Ottessa Moshfegh
No comments:
Post a Comment