Eden **** (2014, Félix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Vincent Macaigne) – Movie Review

Co-writer/director Mia Hansen-Løve’s 2014 French movie tells the story of the life of Paul Vallée, a French DJ who’s credited with inventing French house, a type of electronic music popular in the 1990s. Félix de Givry stars as the French House music DJ, endlessly struggling with his chosen career, his colleagues, his finances, his cocaine habit and his girlfriends.

Eden is a very nice surprise – a highly impressive, engrossing 20-year saga of the DJ, effortlessly controlled, strongly acted, and imaginatively shot. Pauline Etienne co-stars as Louise, one of the women in his life.

The flavour of Paris and some of its people is rich, and there’s some great music of the era, of course, too, on the soundtrack.

Also in the cast are Arsinée Khanjian as Paul’s mother, Greta Gerwig as his American girlfriend Julia, and Brady Corbet as Julia’s new mate Larry.

I have to confess that I didn’t particularly look forward to Eden. It looked a bit like hard work. But I was pretty much blown away by it. I do like the music though. The 131 minutes and the 20-year saga just went rushing entertainingly by.

© Derek Winnert Classic Movie Review

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Mia Hansen-Løve.