Eden

Based on historical events, this scintillating thriller from Oscar-winning director Ron Howard stars Jude Law (Vox Lux, TIFF ʼ18; Dom Hemingway, TIFF ʼ13) and Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman, TIFF ʼ20) as high-minded Europeans seeking a new life on a previously uninhabited island in the Galápagos archipelago. They and those who follow them believe they’ve found paradise — only to discover that hell is other people.

Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Law, also at the Festival in The Order) and his partner Dora Strauch (Kirby) flee their native Germany in 1929, repudiating the bourgeois values they believe are corroding mankind’s true nature. On the isle of Floreana, Friedrich can focus on writing his manifesto, while Dora resolves to cure her multiple sclerosis through meditation. Their hard-won solitude, however, is short lived.

They are joined by Margaret (Sydney Sweeney) and Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Bruehl), who prove to be earnest, capable settlers. Next comes Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (Ana de Armas) a self-described Baroness and the “embodiment of perfection,” who arrives with two devoted lovers, an Ecuadorian servant, a wardrobe full of evening gowns, and plans to erect a luxury hotel. Between inclement weather, unruly wildlife, and a total lack of amenities, all three groups find life on Floreana arduous. But nothing will test their mettle more than the challenge of coexisting with desperate neighbours capable of theft, deception, and worse.

Written by Noah Pink (Tetris), Eden offers intrigue, suspense, and keen insights into the pitfalls of idealistic hubris.

Content advisory: suicide, crude content, coarse language