It’s finally March, which means the cold weather should be giving way to warmer temperatures and more sunshine. But in some parts of the country, the chilly winter season is still stubbornly present. If you’re stuck inside due to bad weather or just need a good movie to stream, What to Watch has a great recommendation for you.
When it was released in late 2023, the weirdo thriller Eileen didn’t get too much attention. That wasn’t because it was bad — some critics and most audiences just didn’t know what to make of it.
Yet with a cast that includes a terrific Anne Hathaway as a would-be femme fatale, the film is an irresistible watch, and the one Hulu movie you should watch this March before the weather becomes too pleasant to resist.
An Intriguing Story
Set in wintry Massachusetts sometime in the early 1960s, Eileen stars Thomasin McKenzie as Eileen Dunlop, a mild-mannered twentysomething girl who seemingly lives a very ordinary life. Her job at the local juvenile detention center is about as depressing as it sounds, and her personal life revolves around taking care of an alcoholic father who resents her for reasons unknown to the audience. As an escape, Eileen frequently daydreams about seducing security guard Randy (Owen Teague) and, more disturbingly, killing herself.
Everything changes once psychologist Rebecca Saint John (Hathaway) walks in and joins the prison staff. With her blonde bombshell hairdo and fancy clothes, Rebecca immediately becomes the center of everyone’s attention — especially Eileen’s. The two women soon strike up an unlikely friendship, with the older Rebecca advising the younger Eileen on how to dress better, pick up men and lead a better life.
A Troubling Mystery
Eileen is more than just a movie about two women bonding — it’s also a mystery that becomes increasingly complicated as it slowly unfolds. In addition to bonding with Eileen, Rebecca takes a liking to one of the inmates, teenager Lee Polk (The White Lotus’ Sam Nivola), who stabbed his father to death. Rebecca thinks there’s more to Lee’s story than what everyone else believes, and as she grows closer to the boy, she becomes convinced he’s innocent and someone else is behind the crime.
Eileen herself experiences increasingly elaborate and violent fantasies that involve her killing her father. When she finds her father’s gun and hides it away from her unstable dad, you wonder if she’s going to use it on him … or someone else.
She’s also devoted to Rebecca, and the film makes it clear that her barely concealed romantic feelings for her new friend aren’t exactly rebuffed. Will the gun appear again later in the film? And will both women use their affection for one another to get what they want?
Anne Hathaway Has Never Been Better
To elaborate in any way would be spoiling all the fun. What can be spoiled is the fact that Eileen is superbly acted, with one performer in particular standing out. Hathaway is still best known for her 2000s work in The Princess Diaries movies and The Devil Wears Prada, so it’s a bit of a shock to see her play a vamp in chic Chanel clothing. And maybe if Rebecca was nothing more than an evil seductress, a ‘60s version of Sharon Stone’s Catherine Tramell, Hathaway wouldn’t be so effective.
But as Eileen’s story unfolds, Rebecca is revealed to be far more complex and vulnerable than she initially appeared to be, and Hathaway expertly captures her character’s many layers. Rebecca is a survivor who adapts to her environments, and she recognizes wounded souls like her who have to wear masks to hide their true selves.
That’s why she “helps” Lee and Eileen, but her help doesn’t go according to plan, and she ends up making more of a mess than she intended. It’s a Russian nesting doll of a performance, and it will give you a new appreciation of Hathaway’s talents as an actress.
An Ending That Will Leave You Wanting More
Most movies end with a clear stopping point, a period at the end of a very entertaining sentence, but Eileen ends on an ellipsis. Some might find this frustrating, but Eileen, like its title heroine and Hathaway’s Rebecca, marches to its own drum.
This isn’t your standard thriller where the antagonist, once revealed, is killed or brought to justice. Instead, the movie just goes on, and makes you wonder what’s next for its characters. Eileen leaves you wanting more — but in this case, that’s a good thing.
Eileen is streaming on Hulu.
