William J. Fickling
This is a searing expose of sexual slavery that had an impact on me like a punch in the stomach, and I mean that to be a positive comment. It rang true from beginning to end, with flawless performances from nearly all the cast. Why it hasn't reached a wider audience and received the acclaim it deserves can probably be explained by its grim subject matter, which I imagine most people would prefer to avoid even thinking about. And I really don't care if the story of the real life person that the main character of this film is based on has holes in it; the film itself rings true.That having been said, I must add that the film is puzzling in many ways. The place where the sex slaves are kept appears to be in the Nevada desert, not too far from Las Vegas. In fact, they sometimes go into Las Vegas. But prostitution is legal in Nevada, and there is an abundance of legal brothels throughout the state. So why would the sex traffickers need to run an illegal operation and face kidnapping and murder charges? The film would have made more sense if it had been set in another state. Moreover, I wish the film had gone into more detail about the financing and control of the operation, because it is apparently part of an international operation--near the end of the film, just before the protagonist escapes, it is revealed that they are planning to move the entire operation to Dubai.In spite of these reservations, it remains a powerful and gripping film. Highly recommended.
emma_koerner
I'm giving this film a 5/10 as it was watchable, and the acting 'wasn't bad', but I'm very unsure what all these high praising reviews are all about! I hadn't even realised Eden was supposedly based on a true story, as there are just SO many gaps and obvious flaws in the film it's ridiculous, and either there wasn't enough research made by the people behind the film, or the 'true story' behind it is a piece of fiction. After researching Chong Kim's life, I'm thinking both. I don't really get how a whole film was made based on this girl's life without anything being verified as true, and not even attempting to make certain parts more believable for viewers.
Reno Rangan
They are saying it was inspired by the true story of a Korean-American Chong Kim but I don't know whether it is or not. I thought it was just a gimmick to promote the movie. For me the movie looked very intense in most of the parts. If it is true then I think they have failed while translation from realism to a movie. That means you must not consider it a totally defective movie. But it gives a fair idea about how actual forced prostitution works apart from that we had seen in other movies like 'Trade' and 'Taken'.Eden is just turned 19 who lives in New Mexico with her parents. On her birthday she goes to a pub with her friend to celebrate but soon after she will be abducted by a man who said he's a firefighter. In the next time she wakes up, finds she's in a strange place with strange people around. The days go on she plays equally fair to them expecting loopholes, an opportunity to her getaway. Does she get the moment that she was awaiting for a long time is what the rest of the story discloses.We had seen Jamie Chung in many flicks as a sidekick but she got a real opportunity in here to exhibit her acting skills in a lead role. She was excellent and better than even I expected from her. That confirms it is her best performance for till now.It was kinda disturbing to see young teenage girls kept in the cellars like the zoo animals. There are some scenes in the movie where inmates are killed by the system runner. It was very cruel but thankfully it was not shown. Yes, not only that, even sex scenes were very well censored, in fact they show none in anywhere in the story. Whatever I say and others think you should not easily discard the movie from a watch. It's a good message movie which alerts innocents to be cautious about such illegal activities by the perverts. So that makes you should take a look on this movie.7/10
asc85
While the 2013 film year is only about half way over, I am almost positive that this will be in my "Best 10" list for the year. As others have already noted, I was completely surprised on how good this movie was, and I will say that had this been a true "Hollywood" movie with name stars and marketing muscle, this would be under strong consideration for Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. Perhaps it still has a chance for the independent Spirit awards, but we shall see. I did notice on IMDb that it previously won the "Audience Awards" at SXSW, Milan, San Diego and Seattle, so it has clearly touched a cord among many who have seen it.I felt the direction of this picture by Megan Griffiths was outstanding. It is a difficult tightrope to walk to present this film so that we see how bad it is, but not so bad that it becomes gratuitous and too upsetting to watch. I think she accomplished that.We usually see Jamie Chung in movies strictly as eye candy. However, she handles this very difficult role (where she is on camera for almost the entire film) in a very understated and believable way. It is hard for Asian women to find good roles in American cinema, but maybe this puts her in a better position to find more serious, meaty roles in the future.I've been surprised at the polarization of user reviews on IMDb. Usually these independent, art-house films receive universal acclaim on this site, and God help the one person who disagrees. This time, it appears people either love it or hate it. Put me down on the side of loving it.
AD
