Film Review — Eileen
Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie do their best with a noirish tale that promises much and delivers little
I really wanted to like Luke Goebel and Ottessa Moshfegh’s co-adaption of the latter’s novel (which I haven’t read). From the trailer, it appears to be solid psycho-noir schlock with a Hitchcockian edge, and for a while, the film looks as though it might follow through. But Eileen fizzles out just when it gets interesting, leaving one with an inevitable shrug of “Is that it?” The film has its critical champions (Mark Kermode, for instance) but whilst there are individual elements I admire, for me, it doesn’t add up to a satisfying whole.
Let’s start with the positives. Thomasin McKenzie is fast becoming one of my favourite actresses after outstanding performances in the likes of Leave No Trace (2018), Jojo Rabbit (2019), The Power of the Dog (2021), and Last Night in Soho (2021). Here she’s equally brilliant as the lonely, repressed, sexually frustrated titular character. Eileen lives in a small Massachusetts town circa 1964, feeling trapped by having to look after her widowed, alcoholic father Jim (Shea Whigham), who likes to drunkenly humiliate her, as well as threaten the neighbours with his gun. Local police urge Eileen to confiscate said firearm, which may as well have “Chekhov” embossed on the…
