I loved to hate Ana De Armas in Ron Howard’s completely unhinged thriller

Eden (2024)
Give us an unhinged Ana de Armas, and for that I am forever grateful. The actress is deliciously vicious and simultaneously alluring. It’s easy to hate her, and boy does it Eden Make us hate you. Directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Noah Pink, the film is based on a true story of European survivalists living secluded on an uninhabited Galapagos island called Floreana. The film is wild, but it’s so much fun when it lies in the minutiae of human nature, especially as it lies the reason why Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law) is there.

The film follows Frederick and his partner Dora Strauch (Vanessa Kirby), who travel to Floreana in 1929 to live in seclusion. Friedrich is busy writing his manifesto, which he hopes will save humanity. Influenced by his work, Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Brühl), his wife Margaret (Sydney Sweeney), and his son Harry (Jonathan Tittel) move to the island, much to the dismay of Friedrich and Dora. While the latter does not like the Witmers, their whole world is shaken when the Baroness Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (de Armas) joins the island with an ambitious plan to build an exclusive hotel.

Eden is dark, chaotic fun

Eden Would feel like a flight of fancy if the events were not based in reality. It begins ominously, but quickly devolves into a somewhat campy exploration of human nature – often petty, dangerous and competitive. For all that Frederick thinks about saving humanity, the irony here is that he hates people and becomes the very thing he accuses others of. Friedrich is the epitome of pretentiousness, and Eden Plays out like an adult version of Lord of the Flies.

It’s less dark and more fun (seriously, the comedy is a big reason to watch the movie), exploring the path of social class and the idea of ​​survival of the fittest test the characters. Howard and Pink challenge us to take sides, just as the characters do. But the game the characters play is not fair, and the chess pieces are always moving. There are lulls in the story, as the initial setup starts to whine, but it paves the way for something more enticing and satisfying.

The film – intentionally or not – is funny as hell. A dinner party features Eloise singing opera while the others look on in annoyance and discomfort; Margaret tells Eloise that they had a lovely time at dinner despite it being a disaster. These are characters we love to hate, and they become disturbingly more terrifying as the film goes on. It’s exciting to watch, even in the film’s slower moments. Howard allows them to get as bunkered and untamed as possible. The absurdity of it all is the cherry on top of a delicious cake.

Eden’s character dynamic plays to the film’s strengths

Although they do not all receive equal exploration

Eden It starts when Elaise de Armas shows up, although it takes a while for the film to settle into a groove. Once it goes, the trivial drama is at an all time high and the film can be quite a spectacle. Since there are different accounts of the same real-life story, Eden falls into the case of oscillating between one group and the other. Eloise is actually the unifying factor, and the film would have been much less interesting without De Armas.

Kirby and Brühl get the least character development. Howard is also caught up in the moving pieces to explore them and the themes deeper, but I can say that I had a blast watching for the most part. when Eden Ridiculous, it is at its best. Many of these characters lived affluent lives, so the fact that they are even trying to live a life that isn’t is fascinating in itself. The characters try their hardest to be polite, but it doesn’t work. These moments are a strength of the film, because they reveal their true nature.

If all Eden It was to show us the sadness of humanity and how quickly they can turn on each other despite Friedrich’s philosophy, then it completed its purpose. The true story aspect will leave audiences wanting to dig deeper into the two different accounts, but even if they don’t, Howard’s Eden is a compulsory watch that does enough to satisfy.

Eden Premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is 120 minutes long and not yet rated.