Summary

The Absence of Eden
lacks deep storytelling and emotional impact due to superficially written characters.
Splendid cinematography and visuals add depth to the film depicting a harsh US/Mexico border reality.
The film’s narrative fails to fully capture the emotional struggles and complexities of the immigrant experience.

Italian artist-turned-filmmaker Marco Perego’s feature directorial debut, The Absence of Eden continues his work in honoring the immigrant experience. The film captures one woman’s journey towards survival along the Mexican border. In parallel, the story offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through a conflicted agent who happens to be dating an immigrant. Together, their stories intersect when the life of an innocent young girl forces them to work together to find her and bring her to safety.

An ICE Agent struggling with the moral dilemmas of border security and an undocumented woman fighting to escape a ruthless cartel cross paths and work together to save the life of an innocent girl.ProsThe cinematography and landscapes captured are visually impressive.Director Marco Perego shows a promising eye for directing emotional stories. ConsThe script means well, but it doesn’t dive deep on the issues facing our borders.The way the characters are written feels emotionally empty.

Zoe Saldaña plays Esmee, a private dancer at a Mexican club. During a dance session with a cartel member, she’s forced to commit an act of violence to save herself from his attack. Fleeing her homeland for the United States, Esmee has run-ins with ruthless Coyotes, other undocumented immigrants, and a young mother-daughter duo. Unfortunately, this journey is not without its problems and tragedies. Before crossing the border, the mother and daughter are separated, requiring Esmee to step up as a guardian even though she is also struggling to survive the violence that awaits her at the border.

The Absence Of Eden Is Emotionally Hindered By Its Quick Setup

A valiant first effort at directing, Perego’s eye for telling a story about a tragic human experience is visually expressive. However, The Absence of Eden lacks the comprehensive storytelling required to be as effectively striking as intended. The film opens up by focusing on and contrasting Esmee and Shipp (Garrett Hedlund). Esmee flees the scene after killing a member of the cartel in self-defense, while Shipp receives brutal on-the-job training before heading out to protect the borders. This setup doesn’t enable us to ease into the plot and leaves no breathing room, emotionally hampering the story.

Perego has a nice eye for using his camera to emphasize the mental state of his characters.

As the film progresses to worse predicaments for the two main characters, Perego and co-writer Rick Rapoza struggle to give Esmee and Shipp any other characteristics that aren’t inherent to their jobs. Even with ICE agent Shipp, his relationship with his buddy agent and girlfriend (Adria Arjona) always ties back to his work. This ultimately disconnects us from the characters and eliminates the possibility of the film elevating itself to an emotionally gripping piece. Simply put, all the emotional potential gets lost through poor storytelling. Ultimately, The Absence of Eden feels like a first draft.

The Absence of Eden (2024) Director Marco Perego Release Date April 12, 2024 Studio(s) Cinestar Pictures , Ingenious Media , Pioneer Pictures Distributor(s) Roadside Attractions , Vertical Entertainment Writers Marco Perego , Rick Rapoza Cast Zoe Saldana , Garrett Hedlund , Adria Arjona , Tom Waits Runtime 106 Minutes

The Absence Of Eden Has Splendid Cinematography

Despite the film not reaching its full potential, Perego’s feature includes gorgeous cinematography and landscapes to capture the beauty of the US/Mexico border despite being a hub for so much violence and tragic circumstances. This is where his artistic background shines the most. Perego wonderfully uses his camera to emphasize the mental state of the characters. As an example, scenes with Shipp are usually shot up close and are visually dark to represent the claustrophobia that he’s experiencing. The emotional weight he endures when he has to use force is expressed nicely.

A decent feature debut, The Absence of Eden is a film that means well. Restrictions in the script hinder the film emotionally, which often show up in the actors’ performances as well. If there’s anything to take away from this story about immigration, it’s that immigrants endure far more than we could ever imagine. Though the grass may appear to be greener on the other side, for immigrants, violence and devastation is what they must endure to get there.