EDEN (France 2014) ****
Directed by Mia Hansen-Love
Director of GOODBYE, FIRST LOVE and LE PERE DES MES ENFANTS, Hansen-Love tackles a more ambitious project – the rise of electronic dance music from the 80’s to the 00’s as seen through the eye of rising teenage DJ Paul (Felix de Givry).
Paul and a friend form a DJ duo called Cheers. Hansen-Love ties in another group of two called Daft Punk, that moves into his circle of friends. Those in the scene know of the success of Daft Punk especially after they created such a hit in 2013 with their song/mix “Get Lucky”. Hansen-Love shoots all the glories and downs of the club scene from the girls, drugs and dance to the club’s high rents, change in music styles and romances.
The film is lengthy at 130 minutes, and can be quite the chore to watch if one is not familiar or interested in the subject matter. Though Hansen-Love never goes into depth, just skimming the surface of the club scene, her camerawork does capture the spirit of the moment. It helps that she likely drew insight from her younger brother, DJ Therein who in real life had residency at the well-known Queen Club in Paris.
Her traits from her previous films are also evident in EDEN. Romances picked up after a decade follow the one in GOODBYE, FIRST LOVE and the shot of Paul crossing the street is reminiscent of the poster of the actor doing the same in LE PERE DES MES ENFANTS.
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