[Music] Eden review Sydney Sweeney fights to survive on Ron Howard's island of sin private islands are never all there cracked up to be at the movies that is a a group of 20th century settlers find out the hard way in director Ron Howard's survival drama Eden a looney soap opera in the sand that premiered Saturday night at the Toronto International Film Festival based on an unbelievable true story the braving the elements flick is what you'd imagine a 1929 season of Survivor might look like humanity is at its best or worst as residents Forge alliances swap sex partners for others shoot wild pigs and confront monstrous villains ultimately there's a winner a sole survivor if you will Howard and screenwriter Noah pink leted loose telling the Trashy tale of floriana a then uninhabited island in the Galapagos the first arrival are German couple Dr friederick Ritter Jude Law and his wife Dora Vanessa Kirby whose Swiss Family Robinson style exploits become the talk of Europe when his letters are published by newspapers inspired by their adventurous pluck and looking to escape the rising tide of fascism are Hines Whitmer Daniel Bru Young Bride Margaret Sydney Sweeney and their son Harry Jonathan tile they're a chilly Bunch even for Germans when the whiters reach land they are distracted discover that it's not a Club Med there is no discotic but there are just two fresh water Springs and terrain that's tough to farm but with American Gothic stoicism they get to work building a shelter and a new life only with no help from the philosophy spewing ridders who resent the new be's incursion too bad there are more Intruders to come the whiters are followed by Eloise Bosa de Wagner warhorn Ana de armos a high on her own Supply baroness with the glazed look of a serial killer she's accompanied by two gents Rudy Felix CER the wonderful star of All Quiet on the Western Front who must be in more major films and Robert Toby Wallace she sleeps with both at full volume evil Eloise who makes Goldfinger look calm and circumspect wants to build a grand hotel called the Henda Paradiso which has a fire Festival ring to it from the off Everybody Hates everybody they steal food envy each other's homes homes and on occasion threaten their neighbors lives the stakes rise even higher when a baby is born and a Hollywood filmmaker rolls in all of this madness actually went down only I'd imagine with slightly less clunky dialogue when oil magnate and film producer George Allen Hancock arrives Eloise asks him you live in Hollywood replies Hancock I own Hollywood what a verbal Anvil eating is never less than juicy though and made all the more so by its aist cast rolling around in the mud while looking implausibly ravishing as big as these actor personalities are their differences ratchet up the animosity de Aros baroness stands for extravagant gluttony which peeves law and Kirby who always appears to be in a trance who are thoughtful and free-spirited academics laws do is a sneering jackass which the actor excels at Sweeney goes most against type from euphoria and romcoms to full houseo the actress is compelling and has a birthing scene so wild that Shonda ryes would tip her hat de Aros character while a total whack job on paper needed to be humanized to Tad Mo she has one sweet fleeting interaction with Harry and then goes right back to being the Wicked Witch of the Eastern Pacific she's still a hoot and Howard has made his most enjoyable and creatively successful movie since gosh Frost L Nixon he's not back to his 1990s and O Peak there is an undeniable layer of todr to Eden but it's refreshing to see him take a load off and not be so serious this hellish Island's done him a world of good