Review of Eden Lake (2008) by Filipeneto — 23 Aug 2020

This film is another one of those films where an unsuspecting couple, due to a trivial situation, becomes a victim of a mortal, scary and dangerous situation. We have already seen a lot of these, like the films "You're Next" or "The Last House on the Left", also based on the same premises, but that does not takes away, I think, the merit due to this film that, despite from failures, it manages to give us what it promises: entertainment under tension.

The script shows how a couple sees their plans for a romantic weekend, on the shores of a beautiful secluded lake, spoiled by a group of threatening and dangerous teenagers led by a "wannabe" psychopath. The story starts well and develops in a crescendo of violence and brutality, and the way the characters present themselves allows us to establish a good empathy with the couple and want to see the punishment of that devilish brats. James Watkins, who signs the direction and the script, was able to do an excellent job and knew how to guide and develop his film in the best way. Its explicitly violent so its inadvisable for children, and even teenagers and young adults should view it with the some precautions. But that does not mean that it is not a good film... in fact, its one of the best films of its kind that I have seen.

The excellent performance of the cast was decisive for the quality of the final product. On the one hand we have Kelly Reilly, absolutely convincing in her role and managing not to be histrionic and appear genuine. On the other hand, a huge Michael Fassbender, in one of the first cinema works of his career, opening the doors to higher flights. He was truly authentic and genuine. But the villains were not far behind! Jack O'Connell was scary in the role of leader Brett and Finn Atkins was also excellent and hateful. Unfortunately, the ending manages to disappoint us for not giving us what we want.

Technically, it seemed like a regular film, we can even say that it was well done if we take into account the limited budget and the fact that it is an independent film. Cinematography offers us good scenery and an excellent choice of landscapes, in addition to the intelligent use of film drones for aerial view scenes. The costumes and effects also seemed convincing to me, especially that filthy trash can where that character has to hide, which even made me vomit.