Eden Lake is a white knuckle ride. It is disturbing as well as terrifying. The monsters in the film are not monsters of the usual calibre. They are worse.
The film is directed by James Watkins (My Little Eye, Gone). It is a tale of two young professional urbanites going to the countryside. They run into “hoodies from Hell.” Eden Lake is a tour de force of white knuckle moments and wincing violence. Watkins uses the film to make a topical statement about juvenile crime‘s increase in the UK and who is responsible for it.
the story
Kelly Reilly and Michael Fassbender are the young professional couple Jenny and Steve. Steve sets up a romantic weekend at a lake he remembers from his childhood, It is secluded and a perfect spot for him to propose to his nursery teacher girlfriend. They arrive to find the lake different than Steve remembers. The whole area is to be bulldozed and turned into houses for the “Yuppie” market. The secluded area is obviously not. A gang of local kids are using the area to hang out.
Steve is not best pleased by the appearance of the noisy neighbourhood kids and their dog. Jenny wants to move to another quieter area, but Steve is adamant that they are going to stay. He goes over to the group and asks them to move on. The gang meet this request with derision and hostility. It is also an open invitation for the youngsters to start harassing the young couple.
The harassment starts with the group just being noisier.They move off in the middle of the night. Steve and Jenny find the food they brought invaded by insects. They decide to go into town for a meal and to buy provisions. As the couple are driving off, they run over something left by the kids and get a flat tire.
Steve replaces the tire and they drive to a cafe in town. While eating their meal they see the kids from the lake in town. Steve asks the waitress if she knows the kids. He wants to talk to their parents about the tire. The waitress becomes very defensive and says, “My kids would never do that.”
exit
Things between the kids and the young couple escalate. Steve angrily confronts the children. One of them takes out a knife. Steve fights the boy. During the struggle he accidentally kills a boy’s dog. Bret,leader of the pack, (played brilliantly by Jack O’Connell) is visibly upset. He tells Steve and Jenny to go. Steve tries to apologise for the killing of the dog, but the children ignore him.
Steve and Jenny decide they have had enough and start to leave. Brett, has a change of heart. He is now exacting retribution for the death of the dog. This starts a heart pounding, cringe making attack by the children and Steve and Jenny’s attempt to escape.
it works
James Watkins is another British director that specialises in writing and directing low budget films that grip you. Made in 2008. Eden Lake takes a look at what was considered by many to be a frightening increase in juvenile crime. The new millennium saw the emergence of the hoodie.
These hooded sweatshirts are/were the common uniform sported by gangs and other juvenile delinquents who had no problems breaking the law. This ‘uniform’ coincided with the courts in England becoming so lenient in terms of punishment for juvenile offenders that law abiding citizens started to fear these young criminals. Watkins’ message seems to be that it is the parents who are to blame.
Eden Lake is an uneasy to watch. I found myself repeatedly getting angry at the “grown-up” characters. They believe talking will solve it all. The annoying combination of naivety and belief is unbelievable. The calibre of performances is top notch. The location is spot-on, it looks likes your average English village/town.
In fact there is a pub in the film that is a spitting image of a pub outside of Norwich, Norfolk. My daughter and I shiver every time we drive past it and I can’t help but drive a little bit faster.
The verdict
I give Eden Lake an uneasy 4.5 stars. The film grips you by the nethers and does not let go. The film is available to stream on a number of platforms.
The Trailer
POSTSCRIPT: Updated with a trailer.
Michael Knox-Smith
USA
07/24/2024
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