Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie) works as a secretary at the local boy’s prison in Massachusetts. At the age of twenty-four she is trapped at home with her alcoholic father out of a sense of duty having returned to nurse her mother during a terminal illness. Brow beaten and sleep walking through life until a new psychiatrist by the name of Rebecca (Anne Hathaway) begins work at the prison and sparks something dormant in Eileen. 

Rebecca’s introduction is a flash of colour in a drab world. Her bright red car entering into a world of greys as Eileen struggles to put the rubbish out in the prison car park. And then after a few short meetings Rebecca invites Eileen out for a drink and her mundane life is ignited. 

Initially the film reminded me a great deal of 2015’s Carol. Both are stories set in a slightly more repressed past, the 1950’s in Carol and the 1960’s in Eileen. And both feature a confident, more experienced woman sparking the life of a waifish woman. Except as the story unfolds you realise that this is not a love story. It is much darker than that and has undertones of a femme fatale being created. 

Where it succeeds is in its character studies of Eileen, Rebecca and Eileen’s father Jim (Shea Whigham). And it is through Jim that we understand Eileen more. An ex-police chief, now an alcoholic, given a pass on his horrendous behaviour by those officers he used to manage. There are threads that suggest abuse and Eileen is on a precarious ledge trying to battle with duty over emotion. 

Thomasin McKenzie is wonderful again. At the age of 23 she has now given wonderful performances in the likes of Last Night In Soho, JoJo Rabbit and Leave No Trace. Eileen is perhaps her most complicated and compelling character in film yet.

Director William Oldroyd understands that this story is about the journey and the characters rather than the destination and gives McKenzie ample time and space to deliver this wonderful performance. 

It might be too much of a slow burn and no explosions for some. But I really fell for this one.