A French Postcard Dedicated to the 90's Electronic Music Scene
"Eden" starts out in 1992. Rock and roll and disco are both dead. But in the seedy nightclubs and warehouses throughout Paris, a new music form begins to emerge. Electronic music is born. It is called "garage music" and "house music". The names are homage to the garages and warehouses where the original raves and parties that allowed this music form to thrive took place. Like many French youth in the 90's, Paul Vallée, the main character of "Eden", enjoys going to raves. He eventually drops out of college and partners with his friend Stan to form a musical duo called Cheers. At this same time, two of his other friends form another group called Daft Punk.As the movie progresses, Paul abandons his writing and college ambitions and pursues a DJ career that takes off. Paul's passion for the music shows as he describes it as a beautiful combination of robot and soul. It is a love for that smooth sound that is what brings the two main characters of the film together to pursue the elusive career of a disc jockey. Back in the time of vinyl records and Polaroid pictures, the term DJ was a fairly accurate representation of the profession. But another cultural phenomenon emerged in the club scene where the two protagonists thrived: rampant drug use. Although cocaine is still in use today, ecstasy has replaced it as the drug of choice in raves. Rave culture is intoxicating. It sucks in Paul and consumes him.
The 2014 French film "Eden" is about the rise and fall of Paul and his experiences during his time in the electronic music scene. After facing various hardships, Paul becomes deeply addicted to cocaine. At one point in the film, the protagonist's mother, like a cliché, insists that the main character give up his dream of being a DJ and go back to university. She also callously reminds him of studies speaking of nerve cell deterioration, insomnia, depression, and a whole range of possibly unrelated symptoms to discourage the use of drugs. The character takes this to heart and comes up with the name of his DJ duo, "Cheers", while rolling on "e".
After a thoroughly dramatic rise and fall, Pall eventually faces reality. The film concludes in the modern era in the year 2013. smartphones, tablets, and hands-free devices now rule the day. Paul has managed to rehabilitate his life but has to adjust to "normal life" which is far different from what he was used to as a DJ. He continues his abandoned dream of writing by attending a creative writing workshop at night. The film ends brilliantly with Paul encountering a young girl who he reflects his experiences as a DJ with. To Paul's dismay, she coldly replies that the only techno DJ she knows happens to be Daft Punk.
One has to really admire the attention to the changing sounds of the 90's and the overall soundtrack. This movie is a must-watch not just for fans of daft punk or electronic music but any music lover looking for a "rags to riches" tale. The film was written by Mia Hansen-Løve and Sven Hansen-Løve. Mia is also the director. Both filmmakers came of age during this transformative era that set the stage for modern electronic dance music. Sven was actually a DJ during this era and wrote "Eden" based on his experiences.
score 8/10
svikasha 23 June 2017
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3736733/35050
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