Eileen (2023)
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A lonely woman working at a juvenile detention facility becomes entangled in a dark, coercive plot with a glamorous new psychologist.
The story
Set in 1964 Massachusetts, Eileen Dunlop works as a secretary at a corrections facility for teenage boys where she is shunned by her colleagues and lives with her emotionally abusive, alcoholic father. Her life changes when Rebecca Saint John, a glamorous new psychologist, joins the staff. Eileen is immediately drawn to Rebecca's intellectual conversation and appearance. After a night of drinking and dancing together, the two women develop a complex bond. However, the dynamic shifts when Rebecca involves Eileen in a disturbing plan to coerce a woman named Anne into confessing to a crime involving her son.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1964 Massachusetts, Eileen Dunlop works as a secretary at a corrections facility for teenage boys. She is shunned by colleagues and lives with her emotionally abusive, alcoholic father, Jim. Eileen daydreams of killing them both. When Rebecca Saint John, a glamorous psychologist, joins the staff, Eileen becomes obsessed with her. After a night of drinking and dancing, Rebecca kisses Eileen. The next morning, Jim locks Eileen out of the house, but a policeman informs her of his erratic behavior, leading Jim to give Eileen his gun. Rebecca later invites Eileen to the home of Anne, whose son Lee is an inmate. Rebecca has already tied Anne up and drugged her, intending to coerce a confession regarding Lee's sexual abuse. Eileen reluctantly helps by retrieving her father's gun. In the basement, Anne confesses to enabling her husband's abuse of Lee. Eileen shoots Anne in the shoulder, and the two women drug her. Eileen suggests framing Jim for the shooting and running away together. However, Rebecca fails to show up as planned. At dawn, Eileen drives to a remote forest and leaves the drugged Anne in her car, which fills with smoke. Eileen then hitches a ride, smiling as she leaves town.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- William Oldroyd
- Writers
- Luke Goebel · screenplay; Ottessa Moshfegh · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Thomasin McKenzie · Eileen Dunlop; Shea Whigham; Marin Ireland; Owen Teague; Anne Hathaway · Rebecca Saint John
- Genres
- psychological thriller
- Themes
- Abuse; Father-daughter relationships; Alcoholism; Obsession
- Tone and mood
- Malevolent; Playful; Morbidly funny; Disturbing; Audacious; Twisted; Deranged
- Premise and plot tags
- Psychological Thriller; LGBTQ-related; Drama; Black-comedy horror; Film noir
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2015 novel by Ottessa Moshfegh
- Content notes
- LGBTQ-related
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, with some describing it as a 'perverse folie à deux' and 'wildly audacious.' It was praised for its direction, cinematography, and lead performances, though some critics found it lacked a certain level of depravity.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 44
- Production trivia
- The writers began drafting the script during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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