Eden is the cinematic re-imagining of the real accounts of several survivors who formed an impromptu commune in the Galápagos Islands. The film is set on Floreana Island, which was uninhabited until 1929, when Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law) and his partner Dore Strauch (Vanessa Kirby) arrived from Berlin. Their goal was to live together in isolation while creating the manifesto intended to shepherd humanity into its next stage of evolution.
The film is set several years into their residency on Floreana, when a family of three arrives on the island: Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Brühl), Margaret Wittmer (Sydney Sweeney) and Heinz’s son Harry (Jonathan Tittel). They had read about Ritter and Strauch and were looking to start their lives anew, away from the modern civilization they felt had abandoned them. Tensions arise once it becomes clear that Ritter has no desire to share the island with others. Tensions explode once a third, more chaotic group arrives lead by the Baroness, Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (Ana de Armas). Tensions turns to violence as food supplies begin to dwindle. What once was an island of possibilities turns into a hell of survival.
Ron Howard calls Eden “a cautionary tale. One of the most searched phrases on the internet is ‘off the grid.’ And I think that fantasy of just getting the hell out and leaving it behind and just getting back to something simple, it’s very relatable. And that’s what these characters did. So here’s a case study… It’s a thriller born out of the answer to the question of, well, what would it actually be like to take that sort of leap and leave the romance behind? And, oh, here’s some people who did it. Well, have a look, see how well that went.”
