Anne Hathaway Movies: Eileen’s Controversial Queer Label
Among the diverse entries in the catalogue of Anne Hathaway Movies, the psychological drama Eileen stirred conversation, particularly around its classification within LGBTQ+ cinema. While comparisons were initially drawn to films like Carol due to a shared premise of two women connecting during the Christmas season, Eileen charts a significantly different, darker course, leading to debate about its “queer” identity. This analysis delves into the film’s narrative and themes to explore why its marketed or perceived queerness is contested.
Setting the Scene: 1960s Massachusetts
The film, set in 1960s Massachusetts, introduces Eileen Dunlop (Thomasin McKenzie), a young woman working a menial job at a juvenile detention center. Her life is depicted as bleak and unfulfilling; she lives under the shadow of a verbally abusive, alcoholic father and harbours intense, often unsettling, private thoughts and desires. Eileen is presented as profoundly lonely, socially awkward, and starved for connection or validation, existing in a state of quiet desperation.
Enter Rebecca: Anne Hathaway’s Enigmatic Psychologist
Eileen’s dreary routine is disrupted by the arrival of Rebecca Saint John (Anne Hathaway), the prison’s new psychologist. Rebecca is everything Eileen is not: confident, glamorous, intelligent, and seemingly kind. When Rebecca offers Eileen a flicker of attention and camaraderie, Eileen becomes instantly captivated, developing an intense fixation on the older woman. Rebecca embodies an ideal Eileen craves – both a figure of aspiration and, increasingly, of desire.
Thomasin McKenzie as Eileen gazes intently at Anne Hathaway as the psychologist Rebecca in a scene from the 1960s-set movie Eileen.
A Fleeting Connection, A Misread Intensity
The core of their interaction unfolds during a single evening out at a local bar. Over drinks, Rebecca shares some vulnerabilities, and the two share a dance and a charged moment. However, the narrative suggests Eileen, desperate for any form of intimacy or escape, significantly magnifies the importance and nature of this encounter. Her internal conflict – blurring the lines between wanting to be Rebecca and wanting to be with Rebecca – is palpable. Yet, the film arguably frames this less as a journey of queer self-discovery and more as a manifestation of Eileen’s deep-seated loneliness and burgeoning obsession.
Deconstructing the “Queer” Moments
Critiques of the film’s LGBTQ+ labeling often center on the scarcity and ambiguity of moments that could be interpreted as overtly queer. Instances like a shared glance, a brief touch on the thigh during the bar scene, or the intensity of Eileen’s gaze are presented, but arguably lack the narrative weight or explicit confirmation to definitively categorize the film’s central relationship as queer. The argument posits that labeling the film “queer” based on such fleeting, subtextual moments is insufficient, potentially misleading audiences seeking genuine representation. This approach can feel reminiscent of queerbaiting, where LGBTQ+ themes are hinted at but never fully realized.
Anne Hathaway as Rebecca and Thomasin McKenzie as Eileen slow dance closely in a dimly lit bar scene from the psychological drama Eileen.
Beyond Labels: Trauma, Obsession, and a Twist
Stripping away the contested queer label reveals Eileen as a film deeply steeped in trauma. Themes of parental abuse, sexual repression, institutional neglect, loneliness, and depression permeate the narrative. The story ultimately pivots towards becoming a psychological thriller, heavily reliant on a late-stage plot twist. From this perspective, Eileen’s fixation on Rebecca isn’t necessarily rooted in sapphic desire but rather in a desperate need for an escape route from her miserable existence. Rebecca becomes the catalyst for change, the object of an obsession born from unhappiness, rather than the focus of a developing queer identity. While acknowledged as a well-crafted film with strong performances, its core appears to be about a disturbed young woman’s unraveling, not a queer awakening.
Conclusion
Eileen stands as a complex and dark entry in the list of Anne Hathaway Movies, featuring compelling performances and a tense atmosphere. However, its positioning as an LGBTQ+ film remains contentious. The narrative leans more heavily into themes of psychological distress, trauma, and obsession than into an exploration of queer identity or romance. While the intense connection between the two leads provides intrigue, the film ultimately tells a story of desperation where the object of fixation happens to be a woman, rather than a definitive queer narrative. Viewers interested in Anne Hathaway’s dramatic range will find much to appreciate, but those seeking explicit queer representation may find Eileen falls short of expectations.
