Carl Roberts 
Eileen, the film adaptation of the Ottessa Moshfegh novel is hitting cinemas soon. Is it a great thriller, or should it be left in movie prison?
Eileen is the cinematic version of Ottessa Moshfegh’s eponymous 2015 novel which won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for debut fiction. The movie version stars Thomasin McKenzie, Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland, Owen Teague and Anne Hathaway. It is a psychological thriller set in a juvenile detention facility in 1960s Boston. After premiering at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January of this year, the film has been critically acclaimed. But is the film a great thriller, worthy of watching, or should it have been left in movie prison?
THE PREMISE
In 1960s New England, Eileen Dunlop is working at a prison when a captivating, glamorous counsellor arrives and helps her access new facets of her personality but may be drawing her into something more dangerous.
THOUGHTS
Fans of the source novel will be overjoyed. The film is extremely faithful to Ottessa Moshfegh’s book. This is hardly surprising as the author herself had a hand in writing the screenplay, alongside her husband Luke Goebel. Those not familiar with the book will discover a sheer delight. A coming-of-age tale that is wrapped up inside a psychological thriller. At every turn, the audience will discover something that will have them hooked on every word and every action. It takes us by surprise from the very start. A thought-provoking thriller that entertains, has us guessing and in doing so, makes itself a must-see movie.
The filmmakers have immersed themselves fully in the 1960s setting in which the film occurs in. Take the opening and ending credits for example. The Universal logo is the classic one we remember from the 1960s and 1970s. The logos of the production companies involved are also in the style of what we saw back in the 1960s. The end credits are presented to us in the same fashion. And, with a sheer masterstroke, when the film starts, we get the sound of an old-fashioned projector, the kind that used to show 35mm movies at the movies. It makes the film feel all the more authentic. With the addition of a recreated 1960s Boston, the film feels like a genuine movie from the golden age of Hollywood.
THOMASIN MCKENZIE
The young New Zealand actress Thomasin McKenzie portrays Eileen. And in doing so, turns in a career-best performance. There are no words to accurately convey how good her acting is here. Thomasin McKenzie doesn’t just play Eileen, she IS Eileen. The actress has immersed herself fully into her role. Her sheer ability to have us in the palm of her hand from the very start is beyond belief. Her Bostonian accent is so natural, so convincing, that we could actually believe she is from Boston herself. Thomasin McKenzie is in every scene, and I do mean every scene. I can’t recall a single moment in which she doesn’t appear.
When we first meet Eileen, she is a repressed, put-upon young woman who not only deals with nasty comments at her work at a juvenile detention facility but also has to deal with an alcoholic father. We see Eileen’s world through her eyes as she is slowly drawn out of her shell. We feel so much sorrow for her throughout. Even the ending, which is a bit of a surprise, doesn’t diminish our feelings for her. And this is all down to an Oscar-worthy performance from Thomasin McKenzie. In my opinion, if the actress isn’t nominated or wins a top award for her performance, there is no justice.
ANNE HATHAWAY
Anne Hathaway also gives an outstanding performance in a supporting role as Rebecca, a new glamorous councillor at the facility where Eileen works. It is a wonderfully seductive performance from the actress. We take a liking to her from the start, even being overjoyed as she starts to bring Eileen out from her sheltered, repressed self. But by the same token, we feel that something isn’t right with her. She is hiding something. Exactly what that is, we can’t put our finger on until later on. When we find out where the path has been leading us, it comes as a shock. But instead of hating her, we actually can understand Rebecca and her motivations more. Anne Hathaway turns in a superb performance. And the scenes between herself and Thomasin McKenzie are sublime.
SHEA WHIGHAM
Shea Whigham appears throughout as Eileen’s alcoholic father, Jim. We hate him almost from the moment we first see him. Make no mistake, the character isn’t one we will grow to like. His verbal abuse of his daughter, his comparing her to her sister, his predictions for her future. We don’t like him at all. But underneath his exterior, we see a deeply conflicted man. A former Sheriff, Jim is running away from the pain he feels after the death of his wife through bottle after bottle of Gin. He is drinking himself to an early grave. And he just doesn’t care. Shea Whigham, a brilliant actor in whatever he appears in, again turns in a brilliant performance, one that I hope sees him nominated for an award.
MARIN IRELAND
Marin Ireland as Rita Polk, the mother of a son who brutally murdered her husband, his father, doesn’t get much screen time until the third act. But she too is outstanding. We see her desperation at her son not speaking to her as he is incarcerated in the facility. She angers at him not revealing why he killed his father in such a brutal fashion. We feel sympathy for her. But does she know more than she is letting on? Can she know the truth about her son’s brutal crime? The truth and the answers we seek come in the third act, turning our emotions on its head. Marin Ireland, for such a small role in proceedings, has us where she wants us. And again, this makes Rita a vital character in the film.
THE DIRECTION AND THE WRITING
The film is directed by William Oldroyd. And he has crafted something that lives long in the memory after the final credits have rolled. He takes the story of Eileen and crafts it into a character study that we can’t tear our eyes from for a single second. The way he handles his actors and the story at large is exemplary. The way he shoots the location of Metuchen, New Jersey is amazing. He also gives the film, at times, a washed-out look that compliments the story and again fits in with the time frame the film is set in. The color palette he gives the bar sequence is perfect, as are his shots that occur in the dark. It is a brilliant directorial effort from a masterful director.
The screenplay by Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel is outstanding. The author adapts her award-winning novel for the big screen to superb effect. The heart the pair put into the screenplay, the characterisation they instil, and their attention to even the smallest detail come across as genuine. This is a character study of a sexually repressed, downtrodden young woman who gains an awakening. It manages not only to hold our attention but to keep us onside throughout. They make us virtually fall in love with Eileen from the start, making her a character that we can’t help but adore. And the way the entire story unfolds is masterful in itself. Plus it does contain some genuinely surprising humor that alleviates the tension at times. This makes their script and the film itself a well-rounded project.
VERDICT
Eileen is almost a cinematic masterpiece. Running at a tight 98 minutes, it uses its time to tell a story that resonates throughout. It is something that could so easily have just been made and dumped into theaters or onto streaming without any thought. But the entire crew, from actors, production designers, writers and the director have taken great love and care in bringing the story to the screen. Their love and desire to make the film the best it could be can be seen from beginning to end. This is how smaller movie fare should be made, with a desire to give the audience something that will stick with them and in their minds for ages after it ends.
SOME SURPRISING SCENES
There are scenes that will take the audience by surprise. And that is a very minor quibble about the film. These scenes, regarding Eileen daydreaming, are good but can be slightly distracting. But by the same token, it allows us to see what is running through Eileen’s mind at certain points in the film. How she wants to react or to actually do something she desires. They also have, at times, some humor that we don’t see coming, adding to the surprise factor the movie contains. This is a movie that has so much heart, it puts many movies out there to shame.
Anne Hathaway, Shea Whigham, and Marin Ireland are superb. But no one comes into the same orbit as Thomasin McKenzie. She is already a star. Her performance here could and should put her career into the stratosphere. And she thoroughly deserves it too. Eileen isn’t a crowd-pleaser like the latest popcorn movie blockbuster. It is so much more than that. And is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best films of the year. An unexpected delight.
Eileen will be in theaters on December 1st, courtesy of Universal Pictures, and Neon in the United States.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
