I admit to having taken quite an interest in The Galapagos Affair long before Ron Howard’s cynical, pessimistic survival thriller, Eden. In the 1930s following WWI, disillusioned European expats fled to the isolated Galapagos isle of Floreana to start anew. As more people arrived with differing reasons for being there, this small slice of humanity proved incapable of living together, ending in disappearances and murder. Howard takes those fascinating true events and the mysteries that have survived decades, and delivers a star-studded but flat effort that fails to come together coherently.
Jude Law stars as the egotistical Dr. Friedrich Ritter, who along with his ailing wife Dore Strauch, played by Vanessa Kirby, leave civilization behind to start again on the isle of Floreana. They are brilliant people, speaking fondly to one another in Nietzsche quotes and enjoying their isolation from the world. She hopes the island air will improve her health, while he plans to pen a manifesto that will change the world, curing humanity of its ills. The Ritters became famous, not only for their philosophy but for their eccentricities. He trots around the place naked as a jaybird, and she adores a variety of pets including a donkey she speaks with frequently. They are larger-than-life figures who have found their corner of paradise in a world that is looking increasingly mad.
You can almost understand their anger when Heinz and Margaret Wittmer, played by Daniel Bruhl and Sydney Sweeney, show up on the island, inspired by stories of the Ritters. The Wittmers, who bring along their young son Harry and have another child on the way, are completely different people. They are normal, down-to-earth, simple folk, and unprepared for the brutality of the land. They are even less prepared for the Ritters cruelty and conniving ways. While Friedrich is somewhat flattered that he has disciples in his midst, Dore can barely stand the sight of them. And she has no qualms about calling Friedrich out when he isn’t living up to the ideals he has set.
Even the name of Ana de Armas’ character, Baroness Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn, is drenched in narcissism. A real-life bon vivant who imagines herself to be royalty, the Baroness is literally carried ashore by her two male gigolos who worship her every move. She arrives on the island, basically to take it over, rule it, and to build a renowned hotel. It’s the Baroness and her flock who make island life untenable, threatening and scheming as she plays one couple against the other in hopes of destroying both.
The threat of violence hangs heavy over Eden early on, but it soon settles into a kind of lethargy that never goes away. Noah Pink’s screenplay lacks tension and fails to flesh out the female characters, painting them only in the starkest way possible. This leads to unintentional moments of comedy, such as a ridiculous scene when the saintly Margaret finds herself giving birth while also fending off attacks by wild dogs. The Baroness is a glorified whore, dishing out sex to keep her minions in check and teasing it to the other men to get what she wants. In another, Friedrich proves his mettle as a man by yanking out his infected teeth, but it forces him to use silly metal dentures that are pretty embarrassing.
Most of the performances are over-the-top enough to keep Eden entertaining, especially Law, Kirby, and Armas who seem like they just sidled in from a horror-comedy. But the mix of tones just never come together in a way that makes sense. Is this a film you’re supposed to be laughing at or should we take this ugly look at man’s worst instincts seriously? I like that Howard, a filmmaker known for his hopeful dramas and upbeat comedies, dares to take on something as dark as Eden, but I’d also like to see this subject tackled by someone who specializes in feel-bad movies rather than feel-good.
Eden opens in theaters on August 22nd.
