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Movies / On DVD / Eden
Eden

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Eden (2008)

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Reviews Counted:22

Fresh:16

Rotten:6

Average Rating:6.4/10

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 84 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Nov 14, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: As their 10th anniversary approaches, Breda (Eileen Walsh) and Billy (Aidan Kelly) are trying to get over a rocky part of their marriage. Billy, who works for the phone company, spends most of his... As their 10th anniversary approaches, Breda (Eileen Walsh) and Billy (Aidan Kelly) are trying to get over a rocky part of their marriage. Billy, who works for the phone company, spends most of his free time at the local pub and eyeing the much younger Imelda (Sarah Greene), who loves to party. Meanwhile, Breda discusses her marital problems with her best friend, Eilish (Lesley Conroy), who thinks Breda needs to go out more and have fun instead of just staying home and taking care of her two kids, Edel (Carolyn Murray) and James (Brendan Kelleher). Breda has big plans for the anniversary night, even making a new dress for the occasion, hoping it will inject much-needed romance into their stale marriage, but Billy keeps growing more and more distant. Although he promises that their anniversary will be special, he is worried that he will not be able to live up to his word. Directed by Declan Recks, EDEN, set in the Irish Midlands, is a poignant adult drama based on the two-character play by Eugene O'Brien, who also wrote the screenplay. The title is both a reference to the small town of Edenderry, where O'Brien is from, as well as the biblical Garden of Eden, where temptation was just within reach. Recks and O'Brien, along with Walsh and other members of the cast and crew, had previously worked together on the successful Irish television miniseries PURE MULE, and that experience helps give the film a feeling of closeness and warmth. Walsh, who was named Best Actress at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, is extraordinary in a role that her sister Catherine played in the original Abbey Theatre production, while Kelly is excellent as the torn Billy. The film is dedicated to Recks's father, Richie, who plays bartender Quenchers Quinn, and who died shortly after filming was completed. [More]

Starring: Aidan Kelly, Eileen Walsh, Padraic Delaney, Karl Shiels

Starring: Aidan Kelly, Eileen Walsh, Padraic Delaney, Karl Shiels, Lesley Conroy, Sarah Greene, Carolyn Murray, Brendan Kelleher

Director: Declan Recks

Director: Declan Recks
Screenwriter: Eugene O'Brien
Producer: David Collins
Composer: Stephen Rennicks, Hugh Drumm
Studio: Liberation Entertainment

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Release:

Feb 24, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • EDEN is the screen adaptation of Eugene O Brien's critically acclaimed, award winning play of the same name. Set in a thriving midlands town, EDEN tells the story of a week in the lives of Billy and Breda Farrell as they approach their 10th wedding anniversary. Breda is determined that the milestone will re-ignite the passion in their marriage. Billy, on the other hand, has developed an obsession with Imelda Egan, a pretty but unobtainable local young thing, and has convinced himself that the coming weekend will see them become lovers under the eyes of everyone. As the date draws closer, Billy's behavior becomes more and more chaotic, while Breda's frustrations crystallize and find more mature, high-risk expression.
  • Source: Ryko Distribution
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Eden

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    1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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    Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
    03/17/09
    Reel.com

    The acting alone makes this picture well worth seeing.

    Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
    11/05/08
    Andrew Sarris
    Andrew Sarris
    New York Observer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It’s a tired conceit, but Kelly does a fine turn as an emotionally stunted lad, while Walsh dazzles, expertly conveying humiliation and resolve.

    Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
    11/12/08
    Anna King
    Anna King
    Time Out New York

    Eden is a sad, nicely observed study of a decade-old marriage that, for the most part, is over.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
    11/21/08
    Bob Strauss
    Bob Strauss
    Los Angeles Daily News

    Declan Reck has made a character-driven drama that plays with stereotpyical elements of marriage movies like infidelity and ennui but makes them feel completely genuine.

    Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment Comment
    03/19/09
    Brian Tallerico
    Brian Tallerico
    HollywoodChicago.com

    This portrait of an imploding marriage is remarkable for every reason that counts in a good film.

    Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
    11/20/08
    F.X. Feeney
    F.X. Feeney
    L.A. Weekly

    The kind of small movie that's all too easy to overlook, but even easier to like once you've seen it.

    Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
    11/13/08
    Geoff Berkshire
    Geoff Berkshire
    Metromix.com

    like channeling Mike Leigh or John Cassavetes in bringing this marital drama to the screen.

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    11/06/08
    Jay Antani
    Jay Antani
    Filmcritic.com

    Eden is a picture so modest and minor-key that the emotional bruise it leaves may take days to develop.

    comment Comment
    11/14/08
    Jeannette Catsoulis
    Jeannette Catsoulis
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Adapting a play by Eugene O'Brien, director Declan Recks has made a remarkably interior movie anchored by two heartbreakingly real, lived-in performances.

    Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
    11/14/08
    Joe Neumaier
    Joe Neumaier
    New York Daily News

    An Irish indie that is well-observed and well-acted -- but ultimately, not much more exciting than the love lives of its lead characters.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    11/14/08
    Kyle Smith
    Kyle Smith
    New York Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Eden lacks the technique to give its stifled domestic-erotic feelings their full power. Yet Kelly and Walsh, who has a shy sensuality that pokes out of her toothy homely beauty, are emotionally eloquent.

    Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
    11/12/08
    Owen Gleiberman
    Owen Gleiberman
    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    To say it is bleak is an understatement. But it will make a lot of people reassess their marriages and decide that, in comparison, they're not so bad after all.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    12/05/08
    Ruthe Stein
    Ruthe Stein
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Eden is almost achingly personal, and it's a testament to the small-but-powerful Irish film industry that tiny little personal stories like this one get funding.

    Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
    05/07/08
    Scott Weinberg
    Scott Weinberg
    Cinematical

    Walsh and Kelly are the embodiment of domestic despair, fumbling to find their way back into the light.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    11/21/08
    Sheri Linden
    Sheri Linden
    Los Angeles Times

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
    03/17/09
    Tony Medley
    Tony Medley
    tonymedley.com

    Despite the fine performances, it might have been a better idea just to leave this one to the theatre where it was probably better suited.

    Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
    11/13/08
    John P. McCarthy
    John P. McCarthy
    Boxoffice Magazine

    A story of a psychological phenomenon that might be prevalent in lots of marriages, but an unenlightened approach makes for an unlikely Eden.

    Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
    10/28/08
    Jules Brenner
    Jules Brenner
    Cinema Signals

    Recks has a talent for getting the feel of an entire community...but the story of a marriage in crisis goes off the rails in its final act.

    Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
    11/06/08
    Laura Clifford
    Laura Clifford
    Reeling Reviews

    Pic loses its delicate edge when it builds to a prescribed dramatic flashpoint within an overly compressed timeframe -- a structural holdover from the pic's stage play roots that ultimately tips it into meller territory.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    05/22/08
    Ronnie Scheib
    Ronnie Scheib
    Variety
     
     
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