Eileen is directed by William Oldroyd (who? Yeah I have no idea either) and is apparently based on a 2015 book of the same name which I haven't read as to be honest I only saw a trailer for the film about a week ago. Set in 1960s Massachusetts the story is set around the titular (any excuse to use that word) character played by Thomasin McKenzie. Eileen works at an all boys prison as is a bit set in the ways of her everyday routine. She goes to work and then she comes home only to have to continue working basically as a carere for her alcholic dad played by Shea Whigham (no relationship to the police officer in the Simpsons although he was good in Boardwalk Empire). Eileen's life is changed when one day when the prison brings in a new physiologist called Rebecca played by Anne Hathaway who let's just say doesn't play by the rules.
As I mentioned earlier I only saw a trailer for this film about a week a go otherwise I wouldn't have known about it (good job marketing). The trailer was very vague and for this type of film it needed to be and so what it was mainly the cast that had me intrigued about this one. Thomasin McKenzie you might remember was the lead in Edgar Wrights Last Night in Soho, a film in which she shown in for me. I was surprised to not have seen her in more things since then but I'm happy to say she's back on fine form here. She's playing a character that needed to be played with subtly. A character that is learning about herself and developing slowly as the film moves on and Thomasin does a great job of getting those emotions across. She even outshone Anne Hathaway for me which is some feat considering she puts in a solid performance in this film too.
As for the story itself, it's very much a slow burn focused around self discovery and watching a young woman start to find herself in the world. It's really not for everyone and I did feel that despite its runtime being just shy of 100 minuets it didn't always use that time as well as it could have. I particularly found the ending to be a bit disappointing especially after a film that up until that point does a good job of keeping the tension and keeping the audience guessing as to where the film is going next. If you enjoy good acting and don't mind a slow burn thriller then this one's for you but I do feel this one's going to have quite a niche target audience and may struggle at the box office.
As I mentioned earlier I only saw a trailer for this film about a week a go otherwise I wouldn't have known about it (good job marketing). The trailer was very vague and for this type of film it needed to be and so what it was mainly the cast that had me intrigued about this one. Thomasin McKenzie you might remember was the lead in Edgar Wrights Last Night in Soho, a film in which she shown in for me. I was surprised to not have seen her in more things since then but I'm happy to say she's back on fine form here. She's playing a character that needed to be played with subtly. A character that is learning about herself and developing slowly as the film moves on and Thomasin does a great job of getting those emotions across. She even outshone Anne Hathaway for me which is some feat considering she puts in a solid performance in this film too.
As for the story itself, it's very much a slow burn focused around self discovery and watching a young woman start to find herself in the world. It's really not for everyone and I did feel that despite its runtime being just shy of 100 minuets it didn't always use that time as well as it could have. I particularly found the ending to be a bit disappointing especially after a film that up until that point does a good job of keeping the tension and keeping the audience guessing as to where the film is going next. If you enjoy good acting and don't mind a slow burn thriller then this one's for you but I do feel this one's going to have quite a niche target audience and may struggle at the box office.