Eden (2025) - Film Review

      Eden, 2025.

      Directed by Ron Howard.

      Featuring Sydney Sweeney, Jude Law, Daniel Brühl, Vanessa Kirby, Ana de Armas, Felix Kammerer, Toby Wallace, Jonathan Tittel, Ignacio Gasparini, Richard Roxburgh, Paul Gleeson, Thiago Moraes, Nicholas Denton, Tim Ross, Antonio Alvarez, and Benjamín Gorroño.

      SYNOPSIS:

      This film draws inspiration from a real-life account of a group of outsiders who inhabit a secluded island, only to find their biggest threat not in the harsh climate or dangerous wildlife, but in each other.

      Rooted in true events, the acclaimed director Ron Howard (who has experienced a downturn, especially in light of the mixed reception of his last film…) seems uncertain of the tone for Eden, which explores a power struggle on Floreana, a Galapagos Island, around the time of World War I.

      The individuals are split into three factions, each having fled civilization for various reasons. Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law) devotes himself to crafting a manifesto proposing a new, supposedly more rational and humane set of social norms. He also misleads his wife, Dora Strauch (Vanessa Kirby), into believing this self-imposed exile will grant him the tranquility and time needed to find a cure for her multiple sclerosis. His guidelines for a more refined society range from vegetarianism to the usual clichéd ideas about pain serving as a necessary catalyst for growth and happiness.

      Their quiet solitude is disrupted by the arrival of the Wittmer family, seeking to escape war and poverty for a life of freedom and gardening. Sydney Sweeney embodies the traditionally reserved wife role of Margaret, who is currently pregnant and somewhat subdued around her husband, Heinz (Daniel Brühl), a man she married not out of love, but due to a lack of experience and a request for her hand. While she may not fully convince in terms of appearance (there are moments when she seems too modern even in period attire) and accent, the latter part of the film offers her character ample chances to demonstrate that, despite often appearing quiet and passive, she possesses considerable intelligence and is capable of making bold decisions under pressure.

      After Dr. Ritter deliberately assigns them a plot of land that he believes will make gardening infeasible, a spoiled and flirtatious baroness (Ana de Armas) appears unexpectedly with a couple of handsome sycophants (Jonathan Tittel and Felix Kammerer) who are eager to make her feel special, prepare her canned food, abscond with more canned food (somehow, she naively believes her supplies would last indefinitely and feels too entitled to enjoy anything grown on the island), engage in casual intimacy, and ultimately manipulate her way to dominance over the island as she plans to build an upscale hotel exclusively for the wealthy.

      Dr. Ritter shows little concern for these newcomers, quickly placing them in difficult situations and inciting conflicts among them. However, the irony is that these individuals prove to be better suited for this lifestyle than he and his wife, prompting him to begin violating his own manifesto's principles. Each of them (especially the baroness) knows how to provoke his anger and insecurities.

      While the concept of a psychological showdown is promising, Ron Howard’s (who co-writes with Noah Pink) execution results in a somewhat awkward blend of tones that fails to mesh cohesively. The baroness's scenes veer towards the exaggerated and campy, clashing with the more earnest character explorations. Ana de Armas delivers a decent performance, but her style seems to belong to an entirely different film. If her tone had been consistent with the others, the movie might have worked more effectively. When her character exits the story for reasons I won't disclose, the tension between the remaining groups suddenly becomes captivating, introducing a sense of deadly intrigue and darker motivations. At just over two hours, Eden takes advantage of its runtime, allowing for extended moments focused on each group while letting their characters evolve within the broader narrative.

      Eden has one final source of frustration when the credits roll, indicating that there are two perspectives to these true accounts. How Ron Howard and Noah Pink developed the tale they present here remains unclear (likely aiming to uncover a middle ground), but this aspect hints at a potentially more narratively inventive and ambitious storytelling approach. This isn't to imply it would have been better, but aside from the intriguing notion of having multiple Hollywood IT actresses in one film engaging in psychological games for dominance over an island, the film oscillates between being dull and excessively whimsical, failing to find a balanced middle ground until it's too late.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

      Robert Kojder