Get a Life. 3 / 5
Directed by William Oldroyd.
In 1960s Massachusetts, an unhappy prison secretary is beguiled by a new co-worker who pulls her into complicity in a crime that surpasses her wildest imaginings.
A blossoming romance slowly dissolves into something much more sinister as Eileen's true nature reveals itself.
Thomasin McKenzie plays the titular character - a prisoner in her own life, fantasising about the freedoms she could have while having to deal with the mundanity of her job and strained family life. When Anne Hathaway arrives at her workplace, Eileen becomes infatuated by her becoming the catalyst for change.
Eileen is a film that should be experienced knowing as little as possible as it leads you down one road before pulling the rug out from under audiences as it announces its true intentions. I am in part admiration of this choice and simultaneously left cold; longing for a conclusion for a film that never was.
McKenzie gives another fantastic performance where her giddy innocence turns into obsession and although there are hints and flashes of darkness, nothing can prepare you for where Eileen will take you.
Written by Jack Aling Read his latest reviews at: letterboxd.com/TheJackAling