Eden Review: Paradise Was Never Meant to Last

Ron Howard’s Eden transforms true 1930s Galápagos events into a gripping survival thriller starring Jude Law and Ana de Armas.

Set in 1929, the film follows Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law, The Wizard of the Kremlin) and his companion Dore Strauch (Vanessa Kirby, Napoleon) as they flee German bourgeois society for the uninhabited island of Floreana. Their quest for philosophical purity, complete with Friedrich’s self-extracted teeth and his steel dentures, quickly becomes complicated when fellow Germans Heinz and Margret Wittmer (Daniel Brühl, The Franchise, and Sydney Sweeney, Immaculate) arrive seeking their own fresh start. But it’s the entrance of the self-proclaimed Baroness Eloise (Ana de Armas, Ballerina) with her two lovers and grandiose hotel plans that transforms their Eden into something far more sinister.

Howard, working from Noah Pink’s screenplay based on their shared story, demonstrates why survival stories remain cinema’s most reliable crucible for examining human nature. Unlike his typically optimistic filmography, Eden embraces a darkness that feels both surprising and inevitable. The director’s recent documentary work clearly influenced his approach here; he treats these real events with the careful attention of an anthropologist studying a failed social experiment.

The ensemble cast delivers compelling work across the board, though not without challenges. Law thrives in his role as the philosophical nudist, somehow managing clear diction despite his character’s toothless state (a minor mystery the film wisely doesn’t overexplain). Kirby (taking over for Alicia Vikander, who departed due to delays related to the actors’ strike) appears initially passive but gradually reveals Dore’s quiet strength, building energy that pays off in the film’s latter half. Brühl brings his typical intensity to Heinz, though his more conventional character sometimes gets overshadowed by his more colorful castmates.

In a role originally meant for Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sweeney faces the thankless task of grounding the story’s emotional center while wrestling with a German accent that occasionally wavers. This is understandable given the film’s demanding 40-day location shoot under challenging conditions. More successful is de Armas, who layers a German accent over her natural Spanish in what should be a disaster but somehow works through sheer force of charisma. She transforms the Baroness into a deliciously villainous presence, the kind of character you know you shouldn’t root for but can’t help finding magnetic. It’s further proof that de Armas excels when given morally complex roles that allow her intelligence to shine through her manipulation.

Visually, Eden is stunning. Cinematographer Mathias Herndl captures both the seductive beauty and harsh reality of island life, shooting primarily in Australia with authentic Galápagos locations mixed in. The production design never feels manufactured; these ramshackle settlements and makeshift homes feel like someone built them by hand and spent worrisome nights on the ground trying to sleep while swatting flies away. This proves remarkable considering they were built into actual hillsides during monsoons and thunderstorms, with actors rehearsing among real wildlife. Hans Zimmer’s score adds resonant presences and substantial dramatic weight without overwhelming the naturalistic tone.

The film’s structure reveals both its strengths and weaknesses. Howard builds narrative momentum effectively for roughly 90 minutes, reaching what feels like a natural climax before an extended coda that somewhat undermines the earlier dramatic peak. While this reflects the actual historical timeline, it creates a rhythm that pulls viewers between multiple potential endings. Howard’s 15-year obsession with this story and extensive research, including meetings with descendants of the original families, suggests he may have prioritized historical fidelity over dramatic structure, a noble but costly choice for pacing.

What makes Eden particularly fascinating is how relevant its themes feel today. These characters flee civilization in search of authenticity, only to recreate the same power struggles and petty jealousies they left behind. Their inability to share resources or work toward common goals on a small island feels like a microcosm of our current global predicament. Even in paradise, everyone wants to be first in line.

Having known nothing about these events beforehand, I found myself genuinely surprised by each revelation. The film works effectively as both a survival thriller and a murder mystery, with Howard parceling out secrets at precisely the right pace. I first saw the film at TIFF 2024 and felt it hit its mark successfully thanks to its pedigree of talent.  Upon second viewing, the deeper character motivations become clearer, and the performances gain an additional layer of meaning.

It’s somewhat surprising that this independent film from an Oscar-winning director, featuring such a high level of talent, hasn’t found wider distribution. However, the challenging production circumstances and shooting schedule may have limited its opportunities. While Eden may not be awards material (though de Armas deserves some sort of gold star recognition), it represents Howard at his most adventurous.  Here is a filmmaker still willing to take risks with compelling, high-stakes material about human behavior under extreme circumstances.

Eden reminds us that sometimes the real monsters aren’t the ones hiding in the wilderness—they’re the ones we brought with us. In the end, perhaps the distance between civilization and savagery has always been shorter than we’d like to believe.

Eden was released in select US theatres on August 22, 2025.