A philosophical and trying film for its characters, Eden presents people who believe that they are above nature but, ultimately, all behest to their animal instincts. The first two on the titular island is Dr.Ritter and his partner Dora. Ritter is there to create a philosophy that will save the world from the rise of fascism happening in Germany during the late 1920s which, in his mind, will inevitably lead to destruction. Having established a humble home and steady source of food, his life is going where he wants it.
But then his home and letters turn into stories of paradise and radical living, which attracts Heinz (Daniel Bruhl), a war veteran seeking an escape from the near poverty of their life and the chance to start over. With him is his wife Margaret, whose dreams of life are not being fulfilled but she still stays strong in the face of unwanted and trying circumstances. Lastly is the literal threesome of the Baroness (Ana De Armas) and her two lovers who could also be called servants, simps and builders as she attempts to create an exclusive, isolated hotel for the richest people on the planet. Ritter seeks philosophical and virtuous ideals, Margaret wants practical resources and the Baroness wants excess. Inevitably, these three ideals clash as the islands challenges and lack of plentiful resources start to force each party to compromise their values and do whatever is needed to fulfill their desire for survival and a life of bliss.
The film has a structure close to that of a TV mini-series where, at different points in the film, different characters actions drive the story. This does lose the chance for emotional journeys with a particular character but, by allowing different characters to escalate the tension, the film always feels like anything could happen. By witnessing these characters in a desperate posture, we expect anything to be done by each character to ultimately, as Dr. Ritter puts it, “escape thy neighbour”. However, the film hints that those who give a more generous approach may win out and does clash with the inevitably that, if humanity goes to war, it will promise mutual destruction of some kind. Some characters try to live with that principle in mind but they get desperate and violence will often seem like the only solution. The interesting part is not only seeing who will survive the violence, but also who will rise above it.
Eden is playing at TIFF ’24. For more information, click here.
