For seemingly as long as mankind has been around, our species has earnestly sought to escape the world’s ills, searching for paradise in ambitious attempts to start anew. These quests to reinvent the human condition have been found in an array of source materials, too, from Thomas More’s Utopia to the plots of James Bond movies to the Biosphere II experiment. Nearly all of these grand plans, however, have remained virtual, stayed locked in literature, or, despite good intentions, failed. One such initiative with these notions in mind was launched by a pair of German emigres who fled their homeland in 1931 for a hoped-for simpler way of life on the island of Floreana in the Galapagos Archipelago, a place where they could live out their idealistic virtues undisturbed. And their fact-based story provides the basis for this latest offering from writer-director Ron Howard. The film chronicles the saga of Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law), a former physician who sought refuge on the island to write a manifesto about the values needed to set humanity on a new course in an era of out-of-control influences and the rise of fascism, and his partner, Dore Strauch (Vanessa Kirby), who was looking for a natural, meditative way to cure her worsening multiple sclerosis. However, as word of their courageous venture began to spread far and wide, their experiment captured the attention of the curious, particularly those looking to follow their lead, such as a trio of adventurous homesteaders, disillusioned German functionary Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Bruehl), his kindly, soft-spoken wife, Margret (Sydney Sweeney), and their tuberculosis-afflicted son, Harry (Jonathan Tittel). Then there were the unabashed opportunists, such as self-described Baroness Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (Ana de Armas), a hedonistic, less-than-veiled con artist seeking to build an exclusive luxury hotel on the island with a posse of suitors in tow. The peace that Ritter and Strauch sought quickly evaporates with the appearance of the new arrivals, especially when relations become strained and tensions rise among them, prompting the original colonists’ agendas to be compromised or abandoned. And, before long, paradise found turns into survival of the fittest, an ironic twist given the venue in question. In bringing this dark tale to life, the filmmaker presents viewers with a decidedly raw story, one that represents a marked departure from his typical fare, an edge-of-your-seat release with a hefty (though not gratuitous) helping of violent and erotic imagery. At the same time, the narrative is beautifully counterbalanced by its gorgeous cinematography featuring positively beautiful shots of sweeping landscapes and diverse wildlife, all backed by another suitably atmospheric score from composer Hans Zimmer. The picture also boasts a strong and engaging story said to be quite on the mark for its authenticity. However, for all of these strengths, “Eden” definitely would have benefitted from a better screenplay, one that’s less melodramatic and avoids the temptation to play like a 1980s Prime Time soap set in an exotic locale. In addition, the script is at times obviously overwritten, going out of its way to deliberately drive home its points when a little more nuance and subtlety would have been more effective. Thankfully, the performances generally make the dialogue look better than it actually is, particularly in the portrayals by Kirby, Sweeney and Bruehl, though de Armas and Law would have been wise to tone things down a few notches to keep things from coming across as a tad too campy. As it stands now, this is certainly a commendable production that has much going for it, one that could have been significantly improved upon with a few of the aforementioned tweaks. It’s an intriguing, little-known tale that takes place in a distinctive setting and time frame with colorful characters, qualities that genuinely help to set it apart, while simultaneously presenting a familiar cautionary tale that we as a species just never seem to grasp. Try as we might to make a better life for ourselves, unfortunately, we invariably appear to keep falling prey to the curse of losing paradise. Until that changes, it seems we can use all the reminders we can get.
