TIFF 2014: Eden Review
Eden , the new film by Mia Hansen-Løve, may be formally described as the life of a young DJ (Félix de Givry) and his part in creating French house music (specifically "Garage"). However, I felt that the film was much more about Paul's passion for the music he was creating and his stubbornness to move on as he grows up. Eden 's pacing mixed with Mia's reserved directional style, affected my viewing experience for better and for worse In another director's hands, some of the events in Paul's life, like breakups or his drug addictions, could have been depicted in a more melodramatic or sensational way, but here, Mia never spends very long dwelling on any of this. While refreshing to see her approach, the same approach never made me feel like anything affected Paul all that much. Not to say that Félix's or anyone else's performances were poor, but I found myself wanting to stick around a bit longer when Paul is with his friends or his ex-lover(s). ...