Review: Eileen

Image courtesy of Neon.

Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie) doesn't have much going for her. She works at a prison in Massachusetts in what appears to be the early to mid-1960s. Her father (Shea Whigham) is a former police chief and current drunk who routinely draws police to his house for interventions regarding his bad behavior - mostly waving guns at passersby while inebriated. He compares Eileen to her sister - not favorably - and tells her to "get a life" and a "clue." Her sister is a non-presence and her mother is dead.

The other secretaries in the pool in which she works at the prison scoff at her, though Eileen isn't a shrinking violet. I got a good laugh at her response when one of them insinuates that she is in the midst of having her period. But no, there's not a whole lot to recommend in Eileen's day-to-day life. Despite the occasionally snarky comment, she might appear mousy to some, although a young prison guard who works in her line of sight probably doesn't know about the sexual fantasies she has, nor do her coworkers realize that she occasionally masturbates on the job.

The film is directed by William Oldroyd ("Lady Macbeth") and is based on the novel by Otessa Moshfegh, whose acclaimed chronicles of weirdos include "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" and "Death In Her Hands." "Eileen" tells the story of a young woman who's trapped in a bleak lifestyle and finds release upon the arrival of an exciting new person.

That person is Dr. Rebecca St. John (Anne Hathaway in a very credible femme fatale role), the prison's new psychiatrist whose glamorous outfits and confidence couldn't make Eileen more excited than if Marilyn Monroe herself wandered into her place of work. For reasons quite not explained, Rebecca takes a shine to Eileen and the two immediately hit it off.

Eileen's sexuality is seemingly a work in progress and possibly undergoing a transition. Early in the film, she fantasizes about the security guard having sex with her in a public place, but she is transfixed by Rebecca and clearly in a sexual way. This is compounded when Rebecca invites her out to drink and not only ignores the men at a bar where they meet, but focuses squarely on Eileen, first asking her to dance and then giving her a not-quite-chaste good night peck on the lips.

The film is a coming of age story, but a dark one indeed due to a plot twist that I didn't see coming - my wife has read the novel, but I have not - that takes "Eileen" down the road of film noir in its final third. Although I won't give away details, the plot thread involves Rebecca's interest in a young prisoner who was convicted for murdering his father while he slept in bed with the boy's mother. 

Rebecca thinks the boy was lashing out due to something sinister going on in the relationship and Eileen finds herself sucked into the scenario. In fact, the manner in which she finds out that she's suddenly involved in the scenario is played somewhat brilliantly as she and Rebecca sit across a table from each other.

Much of the film's success is involved in how well-developed Eileen is as a character - and McKenzie's strong performance - as well as how much of a mystery Rebecca turns out to be (Hathaway plays her with just the right amount of charisma and aloofness). While the surprise in the film's final third takes it into darker territory, the film leaves a bit to the imagination regarding Rebecca's intentions toward Eileen all along. This twist is jarring and while its presentation is effective, there's not enough information as to why Rebecca is so invested in the fate of the young prisoner.

This is the first Moshfegh novel to be adapted to the screen - my wife assures me that her slightly better known "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" is likely unadaptable - and its allure stems from the electricity between the two leads, who have some of the best chemistry I've seen this year, and the fact that the film doesn't take great pains to make Eileen likable. 

This is a film about a young woman who lives a somewhat bleak existence and is awaiting a spark of inspiration. She is unaware what she's capable of and her budding friendship with Rebecca provides her with a disturbing answer. Not all of the pieces of "Eileen" completely come together, but this is a solid sophomore feature for Oldroyd and a great showcase for its two leads.