Eden (2012)

A young Korean-American girl, abducted and forced into prostitution by domestic human traffickers, cooperates with her captors in a desperate ploy to survive.

Director:

Megan Griffiths

Writers:

Richard B. Phillips (screenplay), Megan Griffiths (screenplay)

Stars:

Jamie Chung, Beau Bridges, Matt O'Leary

9 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jamie Chung	...	Eden
Beau Bridges	...	Bob Gault
Matt O'Leary	...	Vaughan
Eddie Martinez	...	Mario
Tantoo Cardinal	...	The Nurse
Tracey Fairaway	...	Abbie
Scott Mechlowicz	...	Jesse
Roman Roytberg	...	Ivan
John Farrage	...	Avni
Laura Kai Chen	...	Oma
Joseph Steven Yang	...	Apa
Tony Doupe	...	Greer
Russell Hodgkinson	...	Dave
Bhama Roget	...	Janine
Jon S. Robbins	...	Bill

Storyline

A young Korean-American girl, abducted and forced into prostitution by domestic human traffickers, cooperates with her captors in a desperate ploy to survive.

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Plot Keywords:

prostitution | kidnapping | sex trafficking | rape | torture | 

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Taglines:

Innocence isn't lost, it's stolen.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content involving human trafficking, language and drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a scene in the movie in which each of the girls are wearing numbers, so that the "customer" can select who he wants more easily. Eden is wearing the number 7. In South Korean culture, the number 7 is considered a lucky number.

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Goofs

Late in the film, Bob Gault is told that his mobile phone was located by GPS near the scene of the double murder that occurred early in the film. GPS fleet tracking technology did exist at that time in the mid 1990's and may have been in service by the U.S. Marshals at that time (and the marshal was using a car phone rather than a modern cell phone so this seems likely); however, the speaker also refers to using cellular tower signals to triangulate his approximate position and never fully resolves the discrepancy between the two location fixing methods.

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Connections

References The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)

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Soundtracks

Spike Them All
Performed by Nazca Lines
Courtesy of Nazca Lines and Stressed Sumo Records

User Reviews

Exceptional: One of the Very Best Recent Films

As you've probably surmised, EDEN is not entirely "fun" to watch, but it's no more disturbing than it has to be. It's also rewarding in its revelation of an often-ignored problem in this country via a well-detailed and riveting story-line. Director Megan Griffiths did an outstanding job of treading a very thin line, making the film as tasteful as possible considering the subject matter--i.e., no gratuitous nudity--without sugar-coating the story. The level of empathy the audience attains with these poor girls is most acute. EDEN is quite convincing despite several stretches and unlikelihoods. While the plot of this film may appear predictable at first glance, there are some truly unexpected developments here.

Though a bit larger-than-life in places, Jamie Chung is just hypnotic as victim-heroine "Eden." The script is similarly believable and carries a lot of weight in developing Eden and the other characters. The mistrustful alliance she builds with one of her abductors (well-played by Matt O'Leary) is as immediate as everything else in this film and is one of its realest aspects. The supporting cast who play characters we never get to know that well, particularly Tantoo Cardinal as "The Nurse," also contribute a great deal to EDEN's success.

The "Behind the Scenes" Special Feature should not be missed after watching the film itself.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Chinese Spanish

Release Date:

19 July 2013 (UK)

Also Known As:

Abduction of Eden

Filming Locations:

Douglas County, Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eden Productions (II), Centripetal Films, Clatter & Din

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1