Ottessa Moshfegh’s debut novel, Eileen, was one of the biggest hits of 2015. Now, the shocking tale of a young woman’s dark obsessions and fantasies is coming to the big screen. Directed by Lady Macbeth’s William Oldroyd and produced and written by Moshfegh herself, the film is just as darkly intriguing and stomach-turning as the novel. With its muted palette and mesmerising score by Arcade Fire’s Reed Parry, the film has a stylish old Hollywood noir feel that lures you in from the first moments.

We follow Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie), a young, lonely woman who works in a New England correctional facility for boys, as she goes about her day. On the outside, she appears dull and quiet, maybe a little boring, even. However, her inner life is filled with lurid sexual and morbid fantasies that occasionally flash vividly before us on the screen. When a glamorous new psychologist, Dr Rebecca St. John (Anne Hathaway), comes to the prison, Eileen becomes obsessed with her. Things take a sinister turn when the pair become embroiled in a crime.

Whether you’re already a fan of Moshfegh’s novel or not, this film promises to draw you in and keep you there. Here are Stylist’s five takeaways from the film. 

1. This Eileen isn’t quite the gross girl from the novel.

When Eileen first hit the shelves, readers were taken aback by just how disgusting its titular character is. She catalogues her bowel movements in a diary. She indulges in depraved thoughts about the boys at the facility where she works. Her home is filthy. 

“I looked so boring, lifeless, immune and unaffected, but in truth I was always furious, seething, my thoughts racing, my mind like a killer’s,” reads the novel. “It was easy to hide behind the dull face I wore, moping around. I really thought I had everybody fooled. And I didn’t really read books about flowers or home economics. I liked books about awful things — murder, illness, death.” Or just take: “Any function of the body that one hid behind closed doors titillated me. I recall one of my early relationships – not a heavy love affair, just a light one – was with a Russian man with a wonderful sense of humour who permitted me to squeeze the pus from his pimples on his back and shoulders. To me, this was the greatest intimacy.”

As Moshfegh put it in an interview with Vice: “My writing lets people scrape up against their own depravity, but at the same time it’s very refined – the depth of it hides behind its sophistication.”

In the film, we get glimpses of this grotesque depravity that made Moshfegh’s novel so popular. However, it’s not quite the disgusting Eileen we met in the book. While we do see her having sexual fantasies and stumbling around after a heavy night of drinking, vomit caked in her hair, the grime of the novel is never fully realised. Instead, Eileen manages to remain just a little too aesthetic. If you’re a fan of the novel, you may find yourself clamouring for even more depravity – and that’s saying something.

2. This film captures queer obsession perfectly.

One of the most captivating parts of the film is the complexity of Eileen’s obsession with Rebecca. She is constantly drawn to her. Soon, she is mimicking her movements, her turns of phrase and even the way she holds her cigarette. While it would be easy to explain this as a simple crush, the film captures just how deep Eileen’s fascination goes. It’s as though the character can’t decide if she want to be with her or wants to be her. 

Although things take a very dark turn for Eileen and Rebecca – theirs is not exactly a love story – anyone who has ever felt this kind of pull will recognise their feelings playing out on screen. 

3. This film is perfect for fans of Carol – but only if you’re up for a very dark twist.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hathaway compared Eileen to Todd Haynes’s Carol, saying, it’s “Carol meets Reservoir Dogs”. It’s easy to see why she made the comparison. Like Carol, Eileen tells the story of a relatively naive girl who becomes enthralled by a wiser, older, more glamorous woman. In both, the pair gaze at each other through a mist of cigarette smoke as jazz music hums in the background. Then, both romances take a turn. Carol and Therese go on the run to escape Carol’s husband. Eileen and Rebecca become involved in a crime. Fans of Carol will almost certainly love Eileen. Just be prepared for a much darker twist, and we can’t promise any happy endings. 

4. Eileen has a subtle feminist message.

While Eileen may be about obsession and desire, it’s also about a girl who is trapped under the thumb of a difficult parent. Eileen lives with her father, an ex-police officer and alcoholic, who is hyper-critical of her, expecting her to be his housekeeper and carer now that her mother is dead. It is, he suggests, her job as a woman. Throughout the film, Eileen has fantasies about murdering her father. 

While it may be an excessively dark story, it serves as a reminder of how stifling life as a woman could be at the time (the book is set in 1964). Indeed, many women will still relate to the feeling that they are expected to balance both work and household tasks, often without much thanks.

5. The Anne Hathaway renaissance is here.

If you need any more encouragement to see Eileen, I have two words for you: Anne Hathaway. Hathaway is fantastic as the worldly, charming Rebecca. It’s easy to see why Eileen is instantly drawn to her. 

However, the character also opens up into something that goes much deeper than the wry, glamorous facade we see at the beginning and we get to see Hathaway flirting, scheming, calculating and, eventually, having a full-blown freakout. She’s at her best here, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that the Anne Hathaway renaissance is officially here.

Eileen comes to cinemas on 1 December 2023.

Images: Universal Pictures