EDEN LAKE. This is not a film for the faint-hearted

Forget about haunted houses, dark dungeons, and mysterious laboratories. Evil can lurk anywhere, spreading its arms on a comfortable lounger, on a sunny day, on a sandy beach. There’s no need to look into the eyes of ghosts or search for blurry outlines of apparitions; fear can take on less stereotypical forms – because does the face of a teenager we pass by every day on our way to work not instill fear in some of us? As shown in his directorial debut, James Watkins, nightmares can become reality in a matter of seconds, and our fate is not always in the hands of the rightful owner.

Eden Lake is the story of a young couple, Jenny and Steve, who, for their long-awaited romantic weekend, choose to go to the titular lake. Beautifully photographed sceneries of the English countryside do not foreshadow the misfortune that will soon befall the lovers. Eden Lake is a meeting place for local youth, who engage in listening to music on the beach, playing with the dog, and harassing visitors. After verbal provocations, the escalation of aggressive behavior is almost immediate, starting from the theft of the young lovers’ car and personal belongings. But where does the twisted “fun” end? Where is the limit that Brett and his gang won’t cross? Does it exist at all? In the following minutes of the movie, the viewer will find answers to these questions, but this knowledge will come at a cost, paid for with blood and sweat.

The main storyline of Eden Lake revolves around Jenny and Steve’s escape from their adolescent tormentors. During their escape, they must traverse miles of forest wilderness, cut off from civilization, pursued by the adolescents, still feeling their breath on their backs. At first glance, it may seem that Watkins did not exert much effort in writing the screenplay, which has too many common features with other survival horror films: remote forest wilderness, a gang of degenerates, and of course, a woman who must face them while her man lies in a pool of blood. However, placing teenagers in the role of murderers changes the viewer’s perception, evokes extreme emotions, shakes, as suddenly the tormentors’ characters become dangerously close; there begins to be a lack of distance, a distance from which we view the movie events, because after all, we pass by hundreds of people like Brett on the streets. Thus, Eden Lake addresses an important social issue, drawing attention to a problem that keeps British society awake at night – moral stagnation and violence spreading among young people. In the UK, this problem has reached alarming proportions, and Eden Lake can be interpreted as a voice in the discussion that is not afraid to admit that the situation is spiraling out of control. Watkins avoids cheap demagoguery, does not formulate accusations, does not seek scapegoats, and is not a moralist or a didactician. Instead, with almost hyper-realistic precision, he shows the mechanisms of peer groups, based on the “leader – followers” scheme, and accentuates the overriding role of peer pressure.

When we separate Eden Lake from sociological considerations (though necessary to fully understand Watkins’ picture), we get an uncompromising, powerful, bloody, and shocking horror film, continuing the traditions of excellent predecessors, with the classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre at the forefront. British cinema possesses, as well known to genre enthusiasts, an atmosphere of constant threat, heavy and dense, almost tangible. The greatest asset of Eden Lake is its intensity; Watkins’ work does not allow boredom even for a moment, and it is impossible to remain indifferent to this film; it is survival raised to the power. After watching, the viewer will be torn by conflicting feelings, bordering on outrage and anger, almost aggression. Is this what the British creator wanted to convey, that evil is born within ourselves, is nothing alien, closer to everyday life, which, however, cannot be accepted?

Jack O’Connell’s suggestive, sensational performance as the gang leader, the director’s craftsmanship, the incredible tension accompanying the screening, the manipulation of the viewer’s emotions – all these elements come together in one almost perfect survival film. Eden Lake is a movie for people with strong nerves, who, familiar with the convention, will overlook minor inaccuracies and indulge in the grim attractions of a macabre trip to the English countryside.

Text from archiwum film.org.pl (18.04.2009).