Eileen is a seductive psychological thriller starring Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway. It follows Eileen (McKenzie) as she falls for her new coworker Rebecca (Hathaway) who gets her involved in a crime she has no part in.
The chemistry between McKenzie and Hathaway is excellent. The story only works if we believe that Eileen is so infatuated with Rebecca that she would be wrapped around her finger, which it does. It also needs Rebecca to manipulate Eileen based on that attraction for her to be a part of her plan.
Outside of the two of them, there are some very interesting dynamics at play. Notably between Eileen and her father Jim (played by Shea Whigham). He is an alcoholic paranoid who is abusive towards Eileen, pushing her closer and closer to Rebecca. Eileen’s dynamic at work is also interesting. She works at a correctional facility and is shown to be silent and innocent, all while we see what is actually going on in her mind.
Unfortunately, I found that the movie ended up being somewhat unremarkable. There is a lot of build-up and character development in the first portion of the movie that felt like it dragged, with some shocking moments from Eileen’s mind to gain back my attention. The second half picks up the pace once she gets involved with Rebecca, and the ending stood out to me especially.
Final Thoughts
Eileen was a very unheralded addition to a stacked 2023 movie slate. I was a big fan of both Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway in this movie, but I felt like the movie dragged at times and as a result, became unremarkable. At the end of the day, I liked Eileen and I think it’s worth the watch.
3/5
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