Suburban ennui strikes again in Eden, an Irish drama about a couple who finds themselves at a crossroads after 10 years of marriage. Breda (Eileen Walsh) stays at home each day after her husband Billy (Aidan Kelly) and the kids leave the house, and she’s searching for something to make of her life. Billy, in the meantime, is getting the ten-year itch, and has eyes for a cute brunette who hangs out at his local bar. With their anniversary coming up, Breda hopes to rekindle the spark that made them fall in love to begin with, but Billy is too wrapped up in his own selfish lust that he scarcely notices his wife desperation.
This downer of a domestic drama is based on a play by Eugene O’Brien, who also wrote the screenplay. The theatrical roots definitely show amid the limited character list and sparse locations, but also in the depth with which the two main characters take shape onscreen. Billy is a bit too much of a cad for sympathy, but you see where he and Breda have come from in their lives, and where they may be heading if things don’t shape up soon.
America has kind of run out of ways to make interesting dramas about the drag of the suburbs, so it’s refreshing to see Ireland take a stab at it. Billy and Breda’s story isn’t terribly original, but it is touching with its well-tuned performances and insight into the simple sadnesses that can make up so much of some people’s lives. Probably too small to be noticed amid the madness that is Tribeca, Eden is a worthy competitor, even though it’s not quite the freshest film the festival has to offer.
