Director: William Oldroyd
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Thomasin McKenzie, Shea Whigham
Running Time: 98 minutes
Synopsis: In Massachusetts of the 1960s, 24 year-old Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie) works at a men's prison. Still single, she daydreams about sexual encounters, while at home she cares for her perpetually drunk father Jim (Shea Whigham), a retired police captain. When glamorous psychologist Rebecca (Anne Hathaway) joins the prison staff, a mutual attraction develops between the two women, and they both get involved in the case of a prisoner who brutally murdered his father.
What Works Well: The adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh's novel carries the promise of a wallflower's imminent awakening. Despite a poorly handled and frazzled change in narrative tone, the two lead actresses remain committed to their roles. Thomasin McKenzie conveys burgeoning sexual confusion and curiosity clashing with domestic frustrations, and while Anne Hathaway oversells the liberated woman shtick, she never shies away from filling the screen with personality.
What Does Not Work As Well: What appears to be a smooth glide towards a simple-enough romance takes a weird turn in the final act and never recovers. The backstory of a young man who murdered his father suddenly and undeservedly takes centre stage, and all too late to explain the sudden detours in key character behaviours. The intricate investments in Eileen and Rebecca as complex women worth knowing are unceremoniously discarded.
Key Quote:
Rebecca: I live a little differently than most people.
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