Eileen is a peculiar young woman whose dreary life stretches on toward unending misery. In 1960s Boston, Eileen shuffles between her father’s emotionally haunted home and the prison where she works. When an intoxicating woman joins the prison staff, Eileen is taken. Just as the possibility of friendship (or maybe more) takes hold, her newfound confidant entangles her in a shocking crime.

For in-depth thoughts on Eileen, please see my colleague Liselotte Vanophem’s review from its original festival run here.

Video Quality

Decal Releasing brings Eileen to MOD Blu-Ray with a rich 1080p video presentation. Director of Photography Ari Wegner used a special lens to replicate the look of film stock while shooting digitally with an ARRI ALEXA camera which gives the feature a vintage quality that fits with the time period depicted. The manufactured grain is delineated well without anything ever appearing splotchy or otherwise unsightly. The image retains a soft look within the shadowy, natural palette that rarely fails to impress.

The production design and the outfits provide clear textural details that render nicely on screen. The makeup work comes through nicely, and flesh tones are natural with a significant amount of detail present in close-ups. The presentation allows for a significant amount of depth on display, even when it comes to darker environments. Black levels are fairly deep with no egregious instances of digital noise. You will spot some slight banding and other minor digital hiccups in fleeting moments. While we would have preferred a legitimate pressed disc for this one, this presentation represents the movie well.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a faithful DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings the movie to life exactly how it is supposed to. Dialogue always comes through clearly without being drowned out by any competing sounds. The soundtrack and the moody score from Richard Reed Parry come through the speakers with crisp fidelity. Environmental sounds compellingly saturate the surround speakers. Ambient sounds are precisely placed in the rear channels for a fully three-dimensional experience. There are some palpable moments in the film that add power to the low end. The audio track is a winner for the film. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc.

Final Thoughts

Eileen is an unpredictable slow burn that draws you into its complex web of attraction and longing to great effect. Thomasin McKenzie continues to prove herself to be one of the more talented young performers around, and Anne Hathaway is given a chance to sink her teeth into a role that is so much fun to watch. The tonal shifts are still a bit abrupt even on a second watch, but it does work a bit better when you know where things are going. Decal Releasing has released a Blu-Ray featuring a favorable A/V presentation but no special features. Even if it is not perfectly realized, this one is still worthy of your time. Recommended

Eileen can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Decal Releasing has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.