Mr. Howard established his historic survival thriller cred with his latest film, “Eden. The movie stars Ana de Armas, Jude Law, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, and more. It explores the fascinating history of the European settlers who attempted to cultivate a new life on the isolated island of Floreana during the 1930s. The screenplay was written by Noah Pink and is based on the true story as told in Abbott Kahler’s memoir, “Eden Undone.”
Similar to a tale out of “Survivor,” “Eden” takes viewers to the Galápagos Islands, located on Floreana, where hope, desire and the myth of civility collide in an untamed paradise. The film captures the essence of a community attempting to escape civilization while grappling with their own ideals and philosophies about life.
Floreana’s history is teeming with intrigue and tragedy. Friedrich Ritter, the German physician inspired by Nietzschean ideals, sought to liberate himself from the constraints of civilized society. He purposefully set out to create a new, radical philosophy of living. He had come to the island with Dore Strauch, a married woman who had run away with Ritter. Ritter’s quest soon took a tragic turn. He succumbed to food poisoning from botulism-tainted potted meat found on a fellow castaway’s island.
Meanwhile, Heinz Wittmer, his second wife Margret, and their young son were among the first to establish a home on Floreana. Margret remained on the island until her death in 2000 at the age of 96. Her passing, we realized, made her one of the last living links to this amazing period in our country’s history.
In 1932, the Baroness, otherwise known as Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn, had her dramatic introduction to Floreana. She was accompanied by her two paramours, Rudolf Lorenz and Robert Phillipson. Her brash entry into this tiny town almost immediately started to raise eyebrows and get tempers flaring. The Baroness and Phillipson disappeared without a trace in March 1934, shrouding their story in intrigue and unanswered questions.
The “Eden,” paints a vivid portrait of these nuances through its characters and their warring ideologies. Pink summarizes this conflict effectively:
“I’m boiling it down: Dr Ritter, the purpose of life is pain; Baroness, the purpose of life is pleasure; and the Wittmers, the purpose of life is family. Very simple and when you watch those three philosophies collide, that’s where the fun happens.” – Noah Pink
The story’s attraction can be found just as much in the universal themes as it is in the drama that unfolds. Kahler notes,
“I’ve made a career of writing about stranger-than-fiction true stories and this is by far the strangest one I’ve ever come across.” – Abbott Kahler
The settlers’ experiences challenge us to consider what we believe is human nature when stripped bare by the constraints of society. Kahler reflects on this notion:
“It’s people left to their own devices away from the rules of civilization. What kind of rules will they concoct? Or what kind of lawlessness do they concoct?” – Abbott Kahler
As tensions boiled over among the settlers, their diverging utopian dreams came head to head in violent fashion. Kahler elaborates on this theme:
“Of course, plenty of examples in history suggest that’s not possible. Wherever you go, there you are – that old adage certainly was true of those settlers in this story. Everybody has a different idea of what utopia is or might be and, when you get a bunch of people together whose visions of utopia clash, what happens?” – Abbott Kahler
Her arrival set off a string of division and deceit on Floreana. Shortly after arriving, she got herself into hot water by washing her feet in the Wittmers’ potable water supply. Ironically, this heroic act just as quickly made her a marked enemy within the island. Kahler describes this moment vividly:
“She shows up on Floreana in 1932 and immediately starts making enemies. The first thing she does is go to Heinz and Margret Wittmer’s home – they were pretty much the only truly stable people there – and wash her feet in their drinking water.” – Abbott Kahler
The Baroness had lofty plans for Floreana. She dreamed of making it a tropical paradise for affluent vacationers. This all stood in sharp contrast to the preferences of many other settlers, who valued isolation and self-sufficiency.
“Then she announces that she’s going to turn Floreana into the next Miami: she’s going to build a lavish hotel that’s going to cater to millionaires around the world.” – Goldfine
As “Eden” unfolds on screen, it explores these themes while exploring personal relationships and community dynamics against the backdrop of survival in an unforgiving environment. Our goal, through this film, is to shine some light on the value of connection and solidarity during tough times. Pink emphasizes this message:
“One is the importance of sticking by your loved ones and, whether that’s chosen family or family, especially in these times when things are seemingly very dark around us, we need to stick together and stick to our community and help each other out.” – Noah Pink
As it stands now, Eden has recently had its US cinema premiere, and UK and Australian releases are in the works. As viewers immerse themselves into this powerful story based on real life, they’ll see a dramatic picture of human determination. They will feel the push of aspiration and the pull of war.