'Eden' Review: Solid Performances Elevate Ron Howard's Dark Drama [TIFF 2024]
Ron Howard’s latest feature sees the Oscar winning director helm his darkest film in this star studded true story about island survival filled with tension, camp and lots of pretty faces
For the last 40 plus years, Ron Howard has earned a reputation for directing many crowd pleasing films that have earned critical and commercial success. While not the most visionary filmmaker and often accused of forcing sentimentality in his movies, the former child actor has earned respect, box office and awards for his likeable personality and ability to jump from one genre to another. Like many of the great directors of classical Hollywood cinema and one of his idols Steven Spielberg, Howard has shown he can craft character driven projects in pretty much any genre. Whether its the fantasy of “Willow”, the comedy of “Parenthood” and “The Paper” or the inspirational drama of “Apollo 13” and Best Picture winner “A Beautiful Mind” , he can always be counted on by studios and moviegoers to deliver mostly quality entertainment.
In his latest feature “Eden”, Howard goes in a different direction helming something that is less uplifting and more dark while still maintaining much of his strengths as a filmmaker in crafting strong characters that audiences can relate to. Thanks to a cast of attractive actors known for both looks and talent, gorgeous scenery and strong themes, this new direction mostly pays off even if it can be uneven.
Based on a true story, Eden starts off in 1929 just as the world is about to enter the Great Depression and Europe sees the beginning stages of fascism. Respected German physician Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law) and his wife Dora(Vanessa Kirby) have decided to escape their homeland and migrate to the uninhabited island of Floreana in the Galapagos. Friedrich has already gained a strong reputation for his writings on philosophy and the meaning of life and now spends a majority of his time on the island writing a manifesto that shares his teachings to the world in the hopes of remaking civilization. Dora, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, uses unique meditation methods to cure herself of her disease. Their dream of a tranquil life is quickly dashed by the arrival of another couple Heinz Wittmer(Daniel Brühl), his young pregnant wife Margaret(Sydney Sweeney) and their son Harry(Jonathan Tittel). Inspired by Friedrich’s writings, the couple reach the island hoping it would be the tropical paradise he promised but are shocked to see the amount of work they will have to do to survive. Friedrich’s hostile attitude towards them initially makes them regret their decision, but they eventually find themselves able to build shelter and start a new life for themselves.
Just when that happens, however, yet another intruder has come to Floreana. Enter Baroness Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn(a deliciously campy Ana de Armas) and her two male partners(both in business and pleasure) Rudy (Felix Kammerer) and Robert (Toby Wallace). At first appearing charming to the other inhabitants, Eloise quickly shows her true intentions as she charms and manipulates her way to push her ultimate goal: to build an exclusive hotel resort as a vacation place for the wealthy. As Friedrich grows more unhinged at these intrusions and the living environment pushes everyone to their ropes, conflicts and twists arise as their dreams and desires turn into a living hell.
Eden is a fascinating change of pace for Howard in a lot of different ways but there are still many of his strengths shown in previous movies prevalent that one can see why he took a chance at this. At its core, the film is really about being human and the many obstacles that come in the way of being able to achieve what we’re capable of. Many of Howard’s best films like A Beautiful Mind and Rush also focus on humanity to an extent and the figures of those movies also overcome numerous obstacles to achieve their goals. The difference between these films and Eden is that each character here is willing to hurt or betray one another in order to get what they want whether that is peace and tranquility or power and wealth. Much of that is reflected in the dark cinematography that shows Floreana not as a paradise but as a place where the odds are against you and you must go to whatever lengths to survive. Even the score by Howard’s frequent composer Hans Zimmer lacks the bombast he is known for going for darker and quieter themes.
For a film centred on what it means to be human, Howard is fortunately gifted with a cast of actors known for getting into the skin of the characters they play. As Friedrich, Jude Law gives a fascinating portrayal of a respected individual slowly drifting into madness. He sees himself as a man of intelligence and philosophy but as the film moves along, he reveals himself to be as bitter and literally toothless(he has removed his teeth) of a man as the society that he has abandoned. Law has spent the last decade or so moving away from the charming charismatic stud roles that made him a star and this is another example of the kind of challenging roles he has been doing so well. Vanessa Kirby and Daniel Brühl do well in their roles but ultimately get overshadowed by their flashier cast members.
The strongest performances come from two of the hottest rising actresses that represent both the dramatic and campy tone of the film. As Margaret, Sydney Sweeney serves as the heart of the picture in a world surrounded by chaos. When we first meet Margaret, she is seen throwing up on the boat taking her and Heinz to the island when she realizes it is not the paradise that was promised. In a way, Sweeney serves as the audience’s avatar being the most normal of the group yet there are definite layers to her performance. This is especially true in the scene when she reveals why she really married Heinz. It’s a role that could have been a generic wife role but Sweeney goes all in. The scene stealer is Ana De Armas. She portrays Eloise in the sort of over the top way reminiscent of a Classical Hollywood ice queen. When she arrives on the island, she is carried by Rudy and Robert as if she were Cleopatra. De Armas chews the scenery in a camp way that ultimately shows off her ulterior motives. It is the kind of performance that plays to her strengths as a performer combining sultry allure with diabolical villainy.
Eden is a flawed yet intriguing look at how humanity thrives made by a filmmaker who even at 70 years old is still pushing himself to try new genres while still delivering quality filmmaking. Thanks to a stellar cast and a strong mix of drama and camp, this is one solid trip worth taking.