Eileen - A Movie Review

Could you help me with a crime?

After carrying out a mysterious crime, Eileen was released to theaters in 2023. Based on the book by Otessa Moshfeg, Elieen is a shy young woman who works as a secretary in a prison. A new psychologist is hired. Smitten with Rebecca, their blossoming friendship takes a twisted turn at the revelation of a dark secret.

Eileen wasn’t what I thought it would be. The film has been on my mind ever since I exited the theater. Elieen switches tones and its premise, leaving loose ends about characters, motivations, and the meaning of the story.

Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway are amazing in their performances as Eileen and Rebecca. They are the highlights of the film. McKenzie and Hathaway did a remarkable job in all of their interactions, but like the story, whatever intentions the story was towards is lost.

McKenzie’s character, Eileen spends most of her time in her head and being ridiculed by others for her passive demeanor. The film should have spent more time evaluating Eileen’s mental health.

Once again, Anne Hathaway shows just how incredible of an actress she is. Her growth in how versatile she has become is inspiring. I was giggling when Rebecca mentioned that she is klutzy, which is how Hathaway’s career started. Rebecca is assertive, observant, and walks like she owns the world. Hathaway completely disappears into the role.

Included in the cast are Shea Whigham, Sam Nivola, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Tonye Potano, Marin Ireland, and Owen Teague. Pay close attention to the characters. Ireland presents an engrossing monologue in the third act that should not go unnoticed.

The film takes a more subtle approach in the first two acts, introducing audiences to characters and storylines. The relationship between the women is important but was not the main focus as I thought. I have not read the book it’s based on so I may be missing key elements. In my opinion, the film needed better ground to evaluate what is at play.

The cinematography matches a film noir style. The filmmaking and editing contrive well to the atmosphere, skipping to the next scene without overloading viewers with exposition. Often, it adds dark comedy to the feature. Each frame is meticulously crafted, contributing to the overall sense of mystery and intrigue that permeates the narrative.

Viewers are transported back to the 60s era. Shoutout goes to costume designer Olga Mill for accommodating clothes for the 60s era. Hair and makeout is also a standout.

William Oldroyd implements strong direction, mainly to the cast. It’s effective when stories take a different approach from what you expected, but I will still left with questions. The story starts as a character-driven exploration of Eileen's internal struggles, and escalates an unexpected turn in the climax, steering away from the path that audiences might anticipate.

Without over-explaining, the women are led to a devious plot. Eileen and Rebecca’s roles should have been switched and one character doesn’t make sense to their plan. In my opinion, Mrs. Murray (Hogan) should have been the ‘chosen character’ in the predicament as she’s influenced most of the insults towards Eileen.

The film just ends without any payoff. What’s going to happen to the characters? Is Eileen more mentally unstable than we think? We needed to understand more of Elieen’s complex character. Since the film is from her perspective, the ambiguity attests to its nature. I’m interested in seeing this film from Rebecca’s perspective.

Elieen is a slow-burn psychological thriller with interesting features. Go see the movie in theaters.