If there’s one thing Ottessa Moshfegh excels at, it’s crafting characters that are both compelling and repulsive. From Lapvona to My Year of Rest and Relaxation, her protagonists are some of modern literature’s most inexplicable; it’s no surprise that movie directors are keen to explore them too. Of course, we’ve all had our eye on Yorgos Lanthimos’ rumoured adaptation of Rest and Relaxation, but did you know that she’s been working with another director, on an already-complete film?
Based on Ottessa’s debut novel of the same name, Eileen premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to strong reviews. But what’s it about? Who appears in it? And when can audiences actually see it? Here’s everything you need to know about Eileen.
What is Eileen about?
The movie version of Eileen, originally a 2015 novel, follows much the same plot as the book. In it, the 24-year-old titular protagonist is living in a New England town, not doing much beyond looking after her alcoholic father and working her uneventful job as a secretary at a men’s prison. But her whole life is upended when a counsellor named Rebecca Saint John arrives there. Rebecca is beautiful, unlike anyone else in the town, and soon Eileen gets drawn into her orbit. The film has drawn loose comparisons to Carol, but any lesbian undertones are a product of our imagination, if Ottessa’s protagonist has her way. “This is not a love story,” Eileen tries to convince us in the original book. “I was not a lesbian.” Her obsession says otherwise.
Who is in the cast of Eileen?
The film is pretty much a two-hander. Playing Eileen is Thomasin McKenzie, the New Zealand-born actor known best for films like Old, Leave No Trace and Last Night in Soho. Opposite her, in another role pointing towards her Hollywood renaissance, is Anne Hathaway as Rebecca Saint John. Some pundits have predicted that, if the film goes the distance, Anne Hathaway might get some awards love for her enrapturing and dangerous performance in the movie — but it’s still too early to know for sure.
Who’s behind the camera?
Ottessa Moshfegh wrote the screenplay for the film (much like she is doing for the Rest and Relaxation movie) with Luke Goebel, her screenwriting — and real life — partner. The film has been directed by William Oldroyd, making his first feature length film since he helped propel Florence Pugh to fame in 2016’s Lady Macbeth. Ari Wegner, Oscar-nominated for The Power of the Dog, is the film’s cinematographer.
What are the reviews like for Eileen?
The film has a solid 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on reviews from critics who caught the film at its Sundance world premiere. Vox called it “dank and disturbing”. Rolling Stone, in their review said the film wants us to “notice how the psychological brick house it’s been building all along explains the outcome. But the outcome almost doesn’t matter. The real joy is in the hungers we tasted along the way.” Meanwhile, Pay or Wait called it “one of the most divisive films at Sundance”, owing to its final third which (we say having seen it) is admittedly batshit.
When is Eileen’s release date?
Neon, the distributor behind Titane, Triangle of Sadness and Parasite, has picked up Eileen for US release. It will screen in theatres in New York and Los Angeles first on 1 December, before a wide release on 8 December.
This piece has been updated with new information and republished.