A star-studded affair to relish (then forget)
The “Galapagos Affair” is a fascinating and troubling true story. Multiple eyewitness accounts have been published, as well as a documentary and non-fiction books, about the incident. Director Ron Howard, no stranger to the “based on a true story” aspect of filmmaking (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, Thirteen Lives, among others), depicts the “Galapagos Affair” in his new film, Eden, a thriller set among paradise-seeking settlers on the island of Floreana in the 1930s. Eden is a star-studden affair, a sexually-charged collision of characters unfolding in a harsh natural environment, but the crucial “why” behind the proceedings is never explored, resulting in the film’s inability to be anything more than a diverting thriller.
In 1929, amid social and political unrest across Europe as the world inches toward an inevitable World War II, Dr. Frederick Ritter (Jude Law) and Dore Strauch (Vanessa Kirby) abandoned modern society to create an isolated utopia in the Galapagos archipelago. On the island of Floreana, Frederick writes a manifesto of sorts, a literary piece that will redefine how humanity should live and coexist with nature and each other. Of course, news of the couple’s exotic exploits have become a popular fixation across Europe (and America), and another couple, Heinz (Daniel Brühl) and Margret Wittmer (Sydney Sweeney), have decided to seek a similar new beginning on the island. Shortly thereafter, a promiscuous wannabe-autocrat from Austria, Baroness Eloise von Wagner-Bosquet (Ana de Armas), arrives on the island with a few servants/lovers with the aim of opening an exclusive luxury hotel. With Frederick’s idyllic and unintrusive environment disrupted (he goes so far as to remove all his teeth to avoid dental issues on the island), the Wittmers expecting a child, and the Baroness extending her deceptively auspicious reach to all around her, hostilities build to a breaking point.
Without much of the ‘why’ explained in regards to the characters choosing to live on Floreana, aside from a few philosophizing bits of dialogue from each character, Eden is more intrigued by what exactly happened to who, and by whom. To seek a remote and isolated existence of the “move to Floreana” magnitude is not an insignificant decision to make, but Eden bypasses all possible exposition on the matter. The social outcasting experienced in Europe, and the psychological mindsets of all involved, are fascinating case studies, which you can learn by reading some of the non-fiction material on the subject (I recommend Eden Undone by Abbott Kahler). In real life, the specific details regarding many of the settlers’ fates remain a mystery, but Howard decides to forgo ambiguity in favor of concrete explanations. This filmmaking choice allows for a few suspenseful acts of violence, but also reduces Eden to a professional-level reenactment, lacking multiple interpretations. Eden could’ve been a more substantive visual investigation into the Galapagos’ siren song, the ethics of land ownership and settlement, and the dark Lord of the Flies-esque ramifications of humanity’s natural instincts when civility is all but removed.
Eden still has its thrills and a few notable moments of sub-surface character study, in large part due to a quintet of superb performances. Law and Brühl’s characters are opposite sides of the same coin, stoically masculine, yet willing to bend their morals to achieve a peaceful coexistence. Sweeney is excellent as the demure Margret, showcasing how a facade of purity can chip away to reveal a more complex and dark underbelly. And, by my count, Sweeney now has two disgustingly visceral birth scenes in her filmography (see Immaculate). Kirby has the least to do, but she makes the most of her every stare and quick line of dialogue. Ultimately, Eden is an Ana de Armas showcase, since the Baroness experiences the full gamut of emotions – laughing, crying, flaunting and flouncing around the island. The Baroness is at one point scared and vulnerable, and in the next, wicked and manipulative. She is a harbinger of chaos, wrapped in silk.
Despite the Baroness’s placating exuberance, Eden lacks a reprieve from the suspense of character hardships. A few moments of levity would’ve helped, allowing characters to taste the lives they envisioned for themselves. After all, the “Galapagos Affair” took place over the course of a few years, and featured many high profile visitors to the island, so we can assume there were pockets of peace and joy, even if fleeting. Without the “why” or the respite, Eden relies on extra homework to fill in the gaps.
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Eden opens in theaters on Friday, August 22nd.
