🎭 Drama 💥 Thriller 🏆 2023 Ranked

"You remind me of a girl in a Dutch painting. [Your face is] plain, but... fascinating. It has a beautiful turbulence. I love it. I bet you have brilliant dreams. I bet you dream of other worlds."

Eileen is such a charming movie. The scope is small—a few interesting days in the life of the titular character. She seems very normal when she is not busy putting snow down her pants at rest stops while watching people making out.

If you think you’ll be interested in this film, please don’t read the blurb. It has late-film spoilers.

She often loses herself in fantasies of that sort, and her relationship with other humans beside her father are not strong—or at least, she doesn’t appear to have any close friends. At the start of the film her life is stalled and dreams are on hold as she works a secretarial job at a prison. Her job was meant to be temporary, but three years have gone by and she doesn’t seem to know quite what to do with that.

Early in the film she meets Anne Hathaway’s Rebecca St John, who sees her for who she is and who she can be and is not fooled that she only wants a life as a secretary. As her engagement with others increases and some wishes and dreams start to become realistic, fantasies fall away into a fascinating sequence of interpersonal drama.

Eileen’s relationship with her father is fraught and is one of the most interesting dynamics in the film. He blows her off casually in a thousand small, barbed quips, effectively telling her that she is not going to manage to live a fulfilling life.

Watching her shift from dreaming of other worlds and a different life to acting in this one and pursuing what she wants is a satisfying story in itself. There is a lot more to interest you as the film heads into its second hour, which would be very hard not to enjoy.

The acting’s great. I first saw Thomasin McKenzie in Last Night in Soho, which is one of my favorites, although the reception was a bit mixed. She’s great for the sort of character she plays in both: shy and cloistered but coming into her own, exploring the idea of independence, and, not least, falling for hot blondes from the 1960s. It does help that Eileen is set in that era, so time travel is unnecessary.

Eileen’s leisurely storytelling could be a sticking point for some viewers, perhaps seeming dull because of its pace, but it’s absolutely not. It has some surprises for you and the best ones are not until very late in the film. But it is always enjoyable. There’s an understated wry humor throughout, and Tomasin Mackensie is always a pleasure to watch. She is interesting just sitting and talking with her father. And what a relationship that is.

If you’re coming for a thriller, be prepared to watch a period drama instead. It will do thriller but you’re going to be waiting for it a good while. It’s worth the wait.

Watching Eileen start to become less demure and act in her own life is a pleasure. In the film’s language, she becomes a real person—a person who does, not just watches. Eileen is one of 2023’s pack of great thrillers. It’s very good, and it’s the type of film that will become some people’s favorite. It just will depend on how much you like the characters and how much it speaks to you. Give it a watch and see how you feel about it. Recommended.

Some Lists:

🎭 Drama Ranked
💥 Thrillers Ranked
🏆 2023 Ranked
💎 Slightly Hidden Horror Gems and 🌱 Candidates
📽️ Viewing Next 🗂️ Index of Lists (needs an update)

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