'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYI/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA//aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAz3MhL//EACAQAAIBAwQDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwAFIQQREiITMpH/2gAIAQEAAT8AstxMMdnbxwFtHO7x7wg8iSrds9vX5imyxr//xAAXEQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIy/9oACAECAQE/AI0z/8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECMv/aAAgBAwEBPwC8o//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Based on the 2015 novel of the same name by author Ottessa Moshfegh, Eileen is a 2023 psychological thriller film directed by William Oldroyd. The title sheds light on a few days in the life of a young girl, who works as an assistant at a juvenile detention center. At the end of the film, she kills a woman named Mrs. Polk and runs away to New York City, leaving behind her miserable life at X Ville.
The film is set in 1960s Massachusetts, and the story is all about two women, the titular character played by Thomasin Mckenzie, and Rebecca, played by Anne Hathaway. They both work at the corrections facility for teenage boys and become close to each other after a few meetings. However, things get intense when Rebecca reveals a dark secret.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023, and was released in the United States on December 8, 2023. The title stars Thomasin McKenzie, Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland, Owen Teague, and Anne Hathaway.
Trending
Eileen kills Mrs. Polk
Eileen is a 24-year-old woman who works as an assistant at a juvenile detention center in her hometown. Her life is boring and miserable, and she often dreams of getting out of X Ville and moving to New York City but she can never gather the courage to do it. She struggles with depression and often daydreams about dying.
Her life then takes a turn after the arrival of Rebecca, the new psychiatrist at the detention center. Rebecca is extremely beautiful, well-spoken, and evidently from a rich background. She shows interest in Eileen and asks to join her for a drink after work. The assistant is smitten by the woman and develops a crush on her.
One night, Rebecca invites her into her house and it is revealed that she had kept Mrs. Polk prisoner in the basement. Mrs. Polk was complicit in her son's s*xual abuse at the hands of her husband, and Rebecca wanted to get a confession out of her.
Eileen initially hesitates but eventually agrees to help Rebecca. After getting the confession, she ends up shooting Mrs. Polk, and later leaving her sedated in her car in the woods. The car then fills with smoke, thus killing Mrs. Polk.
Eileen's father was more than just verbally abusive
Eileen has a strange relationship with her abusive and alcoholic father, with whom she resides, after the death of her mother. Her father used to be a cop and is an extremely eccentric man, who verbally abuses her at every chance he gets. While they are dependent on each other for care and company, she later realizes that he was s*xually abusive towards her older sister, who is now married and lives with her husband.
After joining the detention center, Rebecca starts therapy with a teenager named Lee Folk, who killed his father. Rebecca finds out that he was being s*xually abused by his father, who was a cop. Mrs. Polk eventually became aware of her son's abuse, after walking in on her husband in Lee's room. Feeling powerless, and enjoying her husband's renewed interest in her, she did not do anything for her son.
She is abandoned by Rebecca and leaves X Ville
On Christmas Eve, Eileen receives a call from Rebecca, inviting her to her house for drinks. When she arrives, they share a drink, but a panicked Rebecca eventually reveals that they are actually in the Polks' house. Rebecca, suspecting that Lee was s*xually abused by his father, had arrived to question Mrs. Polk.
The conversation gets heated and, following a scuffle during which they fall into the basement, Rebecca ties her up and drugs her. She plans to coerce her into admitting her involvement in her son's abuse, with Eileen as a witness. Eileen reluctantly agrees to help. She gets Mrs. Polk to confess, but in the process, shoots her.
She plans to kill Mrs. Polk and pin it on her father, and Rebecca agrees to this. The two take Rita into her car, and agree to meet at her house. However, the next day, Rebecca does not show up. Eileen takes matters into her own hands and leaves a sedated Mrs. Polk in her car with the windows rolled up as the engine smoke fills the car, killing her while she is asleep. She then hitchhikes to New York City.
Final thoughts
The film tells a story of abuse and neglect. The book by Ottessa Moshfegh was revered for its dark humor and the careful handling of sensitive subjects. The film, for the most part, stays true to the source material. It is an extremely slow burn, just like the book, and it compensates for the lack of Ottessa's brilliant narration with the incredible performances by Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway.
Eileen is now available to watch on Hulu in the U.S.
