REVIEW: Eden

This review was originally written in October 2011. Some elements of the film were unfinished. There are no spoilers in this review.

PLOT: A young Korean-American girl, abducted and forced into prostitution by domestic human traffickers, joins forces with her captors in a desperate plea to survive.

Before I get into my review, let me explain a little bit about how I saw this movie. I work with a guy named Casey Chinn who is an editor. He is an assistant editor and associate producer on this film. He invited me to a private screening of the film at one of the producer's homes in Seattle one night. There were about nine other people there and I was one of two people who had never heard of the project before or read the script. This was the first screening they held for absolutely anyone and I was greatly honored to have been a part of the group. While I did not sign a non-disclosure agreement, I respected the filmmaker's desire to not talk about the film in public until given the green light or until its release. So, this review was written and saved in draft on October 12, 2011. The film was for the most part complete with some backdrops missing and some music still be worked on. After the film, the director and producers asked for extensive feedback before the film was to be sent to the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it sadly was not accepted. However, it was accepted into competition at South by Southwest (SXSW) where it had its premiere on March 11th, 2012.  Not sure if the suggestions we made that night I saw the film impacted the version they ended up showing, but it was a cool little experience nonetheless.

Update 3/14: I just found out that Eden won the Audience Award for Narrative Feature at SXSW! Director Megan Griffiths received the Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award. And Jamie Chung received a Special Jury Recognition for her performance.


THE GOOD: Story. I don't think there have been very many movies about domestic human trafficking, especially of underage children, but Eden explores this world. It's uncomfortable, it's shocking, and it is downright disgusting. The movie is a fictional re-telling of the real-life story of Chong Kim, a woman who was kidnapped and handed over to traffickers as a teenager back in the mid-90s. She lived in a warehouse with other girls while she was enslaved and was told to go by the name Eden. While some of the elements of the story were made up for dramatic effect, the core experience of this film is traumatic because it actually happened. It still happens today and it's a wonder how these vicious organized crimes are still able to go on.

Matt O'Leary. Sucker Punch's Jamie Chung stars as Eden. She's good, but I feel like she could have been better. The same goes for Beau Bridges who everyone raved over at my screening. I liked him, too, but I thought Matt O'Leary's performance stood out the most to me. He's in the film more than Bridges and his character is a lot more deep. I brought up how his performance reminded me so much of Aaron Paul's Jesse on the AMC hit TV show Breaking Bad. The director and producers laughed after I mentioned this and told me that they had actually considered getting him at one point. Whether he auditioned for the role or not, I don't know, but I don't think he was needed as O'Leary completely sticks it. If you're not sure who he is, you might have seen him in 2005's Brick as The Brain or Spy Kids 2 and 3 as Gary Giggles.

In Sucker Punch, she could fly a helicopter, but in Eden, she can't even drive a car.

Message. While watching this film, I had many flashbacks to one of last year's indie hit, Martha Marcy May Marlene. Both films deal with a central theme of female protagonists getting caught up in dangerous surroundings and trying to make an escape. Now, I do not believe that the director and producers aimed to mimic that movie as it wasn't even released while they were filming, and the best evidence I have to support my belief lies in the film's message. Martha Marcy May Marlene's message is not profound or clear. As I said in my review, there doesn't seem to be any deeper message than "cults are bad." Martha escapes the abusive cult (don't worry, not spoiling anything, this happens right at the beginning of the film) and it's all about her dealing with the things she went through. Eden's goal is also to escape, but the film is more about how she does it than how screwed up in the head it makes her. Without getting too much into what happens, let me just say that I found a theme of "sometimes you have to get your hands dirty." I'm not encouraging the idea that Eden made poor choices, but rather trying to convey that the movie examines how detachment from difficult situations is not always possible. I caught myself initially disagreeing with something that the main character did, but when I really thought about it, when I really put myself in her shoes, I'm not sure if I would have acted any different. Anyway, Eden is not technically as well-made as MMMM, but since it has what I believe is a greater message, it makes up for it immensely.


THE BAD: Unoriginal. It's only fair to point out that the movie doesn't break any new ground in terms of filmmaking. It's pretty basic and linear. There are very memorable scenes, but mostly due to what happens in them and not how they looked on screen. Once again, I'm going to bring up Martha Marcy May Marlene which had phenomenal cinematography, editing, and sound design. All of which are present in Eden, but just not as well-crafted in my opinion. If a movie could have the technical aspects of Martha Marcy May mixed with the story and message of Eden, it would be perfect. And again, maybe the final version is better.


THE END: Eden is a tough story to view, but a story that I think must be told. I don't think I could see this film more than one or two more times. I liked it a lot and felt honored to be able to see it so early. I really hope it is a success when it comes to distributors. If you enjoy indie films with good storytelling and a message, check this one out.


DISCUSS: What did you think of Eden? What movies would you say it is similar to? What were some negative aspects of the film for you? What did you think of the message? How did you first hear about this film?