Erasing Eden (2016) Poster

(2016)

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3/10
Don't even bother to watch
kushagrasonkar-952-80382124 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
When the movie started, by the way everything was going, it seemed like it'd be a worthwhile watch but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. Most of the background of the story was left for the viewers to assume . Even after the movie finished , i was still wondering 'what's her freaking problem?'. Her fiancé seemed fine for a loving partner. It would have been a lot better if Eden would have figured out her problem of commitment at least in the end. The movie was like it started and ended on the same very page .

You should only watch this if you are having a hard time quitting drinking.
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1/10
UGH!!! #FlyingMonkeys
TexasToTheBone17 March 2019
Point? So much to fit into a 24 hour period - I could barely make it through the first hour. Next time - and to make the story more interesting, remember the format of a story - beginning, middle, and end (preferably in that order) - as opposed to this film, which felt like a very long ending. Also, consider a licensed healthcare consultant; and keep in mind that the protagonist would do much better with a brain. #WizardofOz #FlyingMonkeys UGH!!!
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1/10
Frustrating
greyphoenix-0773328 February 2017
Most depressing movie. Very frustrating, she ditches love and a cushy life and doesn't even bother to tell him shes OK. I was shouting at the screen... stupid woman!! Don't watch this unless you want to be depressed and frustrated. I Really wish I had not watched this! Feellike slapping the writer
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10/10
good film with interesting female lead
zeimichelle28 March 2017
This is a compelling film. While yes it is dark, I hardly think that merits a negative review. It shows a women struggling after a traumatic event. I recommend watching it. Breeda Wool offers a strong performance as the lead character Eden. It's refreshing to a see a film that allows a woman to go through and look like sh*t the entire movie. Kudos!
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Strong performance in a powerful drama
thejhorton4 June 2020
Really strong lead performance anchors this exceptional drama. The lead actress appears in about every frame and holds it well. People throw around the term 'brave performance' a lot, but it is very apt here. Her journey was truly harrowing.

The final image is powerful.

Big recommend.

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1/10
Appropriate Title but they forgot to ERASE
extremecraigfan24 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
What the heck???? All I can say about this movie is....If I strapped a video camera to my dog and let him walk around for 90 minutes I am sure his film would be far more interesting and make more sense than what I just watched.

Seriously, I have not seen such a bad movie in a very long time. It captures your interest in the very beginning but just hangs...it does not go anywhere after the first few minutes. It is quite straightforward I did not find the movie to have any deep, profound or hidden meaning as others said they did...even if it did a badly made film is just that.
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9/10
Highly recommend
johnapplebee-959476 February 2019
This was an indie gem. The direction, acting and look of it was phenomenal. It kept me engaged throughout and had plenty meaning behind it. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 stars was because with all the people she ran into she could have easily got a pen and wrote down who she was and who could have helped her from her family or fiancé. Maybe I missed something. But oelverall really Good. I highly reccomend this movie.
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1/10
UGH!!!
TexasToTheBone17 March 2019
Point? So much to fit into a 24 hour period - I could barely make it through the first hour. Next time - and to make the story more believable, remember the format of a story (beginning, middle, end), consider a licensed healthcare consultant, and keep in mind that the protagonist needs a brain. #WizardofOz #FlyingMonkeys UGH!!!
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10/10
engaging, realistic, honest human story
mattopaipa28 March 2017
I say "realistic" because I feel like the consequences of what happens to Eden early in the film, including all the things she must deal with as a result, are shown in a very realistic way. I also feel like the character herself is very real. This movie is honest with us, and there is truth about the human experience laid bare here that I have not seen on the screen before. I read some negative user reviews that expressed frustration with the character and the choices she makes. My advice for watching this film is to turn your judgment sensitivity control down to zero and your empathy control up to maximum, and allow yourself to be drawn into this character's journey, which is rivetingly depicted.
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7/10
OK, but
hkoutsouri20 April 2021
Sure it was interesting, and it had a nice premise, a great female lead, but I found myself some plot holes.

The end is pretty much self explanatory and I don't get how people don't get it, I think they don't know about non-mainstream stuff.
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1/10
Terrible movie!
kimberlymurray-166771 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Probably one of the worst movies my husband and I have ever seen. Do not waste your time on this film. Movies like this make me not want to even watch movies!

SPOILER ALERT:

There is not much talking in it and it is about self-destruction. Talk about a Debby Downer, you can't get much lower than this movie with not much plot to it!
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A truly lost weekend
Phil_Chester28 September 2018
There are many "Lost Weekend" style stories, but this is truly one of the most emotionally gut-wrenching we've ever seen. It's really agonising to watch the central character self-destruct and you're yearning for her to climb out of her rut and find happiness and fulfilment. Highly recommended.
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1/10
A lot of this flick hinges on the makeup - and the makeup continuity is non-existent
av_m20 November 2023
OK, to say this thing is totally implausible is an understatement.

First, writers apparently use the phrase "self-sabotage" instead of the accurate phrase "alcoholic" - so right there you know you're dealing with a story line that has a messed up moral compass.

Next we have a female lead who is apparently super-human - she can guzzle down a entire fifth of some sort of hard liquor in about 90 seconds, go bar hopping, get in a car with strangers, wake up on the desert with a broken jaw, a major head laceration, a broken ankle and a black-eye - all on the eve of her wedding to a fiancé who's apparently oblivious to the fact that she must have been throwing some major red flags on the field of romance.

She then goes thru a series of meandering experiences which I won't "give away" - but suffice it to say she carries on down the mean streets of somewhere with no one noticing that's she's in a hospital gown and has her mouth wired shut.

And now I come to the piece de resistance - the makeup. I've recounted enough of this gal's escapades to indicate that the xtremely beat-up makeup is all the director offer to garner sympathy for the character - but in one scene she has a black eye and a laceration down her chin, and next she doesn't, and the next scene she does again, one scene she has the broken ankle limp, next scene she doesn't, next scene she foot pedaling a scooter, next scene the limp's back - and so on. Pathetic continuity management.

Oh, and somewhere along the line she manages to acquire a new weeding dress from a thrift shop with no money - again, all after being left in the desert half dead, getting her broken jaw wired up in an ER - with no ID - scootering past evil looking street gangs with a on-again, off-again broken ankle and in less than a 24 hour story line.

And meanwhile during all this, what's up with the waiting wedding party? Well I won't give that away.

Oh wait - did I remember to mention the tattoo she gets, on her wired broken jaw - oh well, who can remember it all.

Well, so it goes - unless you you like watching screwed up messes - both the character and the film - for 90 minutes, don't bother with this one.
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8/10
I so get it
zeekol26 February 2017
I read earlier user reviews, but I'm not sure the message is what people think. The LA Times review was more accurate. I stuck through the grueling gauntlet of self-inflicted catastrophes that Eden goes through. This movie is more about self determination and gut wrenching perseverance than about tragedy. In fact, the end says it all (no spoilers). I'm recommending it. Watch the big blockbusters if you like, but this says more about the human experience than most movies, but it's a ride down a gloomy street at first...
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10/10
Terrific independent film!
adampatrickbain-418037 March 2017
Love this movie! Gritty, intense, and surprising. Just when you think you have the lead character figured out, she makes a choice that leaves you both concerned for her and wondering where it will take her next. The ending provokes as many questions as it answers, which, for me, is the hallmark of any successful piece of art. If the credits roll and you immediately want to turn to the person next to you and discuss what you just watched, you can't ask for more than that! Highly recommended.
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10/10
She's liberated!
darbytristan3 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Reality TV isn't very real, and sitcoms don't depict real life. This movie isn't even about a wedding. It's about the gut-wrenching decision that an alcoholic has to make to fight for their true self. She fought so hard to come out of the societal facade of "the perfect little life," which is what the wedding represented, and she trudged through the hardest, most humiliating and painful moments of her life to reach the conclusion that only she can take those steps toward change and only she can continue to put one foot in front of the other. The symbolism of the tattoo is beautiful. It was a powerful statement that she said I'm not going to hide in indecisiveness anymore. I'm making a permanent change and I'm doing this on my own terms and I don't care what anyone else has to say. It was more honesty in a film than I've probably ever seen.
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8/10
Mesmerizing Indie Gem
Erasing Eden is a mesmerizing, unique indie gem and I hope more people see this movie. It was raw and funny and has an incredible performance by Breeda Wool at its core. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Eden tackle her personal demons the night before her wedding as she wrestles with her powerful self sabotaging ways. The filmmaking is great and Beth Dewey is one to watch for sure. I was mesmerized by her story from the beginning and genuinely loved every debacle she got herself into. The end was surprising and awesome, so original!! Bravo to this cast and crew- Highly Recommend!!
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9/10
The journey of the self-saboteur
JGReviews25 July 2019
Erasing Eden is a very interesting indie film about a woman named Eden who wakes up in the middle of the desert alone, bruised and a bit bloodied, after a long night of drinking and who knows what else. We quickly find out that today is Eden's wedding day as Eden starts to limp back toward civilization.

This film really captured my attention with such an intriguing start and I was invested in the entire film from there. Breeda Wool is excellent in the lead role as we learn more about Eden and her history of self-sabotage. Erasing Eden is very well crafted by Beth Dewey and the film takes creative chances in storytelling that you would only see in an independent film like this. The film is unflinching but also very authentic feeling. The cinematography is beautiful and a bit raw, which is the perfect fit for this film. I would highly recommend Erasing Eden to anyone looking for a high quality indie film.
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10/10
Portrait Of The Internal Struggle
TheAll-SeeingI23 July 2019
Writer/director Beth Dewey delivers a deeply layered and ultimately fascinating character study of a pending bride in turmoil in her wonderful film Erasing Eden.

Brenda Wool plays bride-to-be Eden with all the nuance absolutely required to pull off a role of this expertly-constructed depth. As Eden appears in our consciousness, she's in the desert on her wedding day - bloodied and thrashed to the nines - and we realize full well that we're operating within the context of a situation loaded to the gills with impending threat. It's here that we learn that Dewey has made a high-risk, high-reward creative decision: She's given her character a broken jaw. In addition to her clearly presented physical vulnerabilities, Eden can't speak, and yet must procure small gifts of human kindness from total strangers as she seeks firmer footing. The extent of Eden's dialogue, therefore, is encapsulated in her revisitations of self-encouraging voice messages she'd previously left for herself; little affirmations she'd one day need to endure the moments of doubt and make it over the hump, coupled with revelations that illuminate Eden as a self-saboteur. It must be said that these past iterations of hope - counterpointed against the tormented reality of what we've learned has since become a mental breakdown - make for some highly engaging and uniquely-presented storytelling.

Ultimately, Erasing Eden spotlights a singular human being's own internal struggles; the relatable push-and-pull between making committed decisions and the daunting psychological fallout we can realize as it comes time to actualize them. In a day and age in which so many of us are seeking benefit from better understanding our own psychological drivers, this is a film that offers deeply fascinating insight packaged within some truly expert indie filmmaking.
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9/10
A must See!
craigahrens24 July 2019
I completely and thoroughly enjoyed this film from beginning to end! This is what I appreciate about indie filmmaking, the originality! I couldn't mentally jump ahead because this film was not predictable. The director, Beth Dewey, did a terrific job at keeping this film moving along. I didn't find myself taking any snack breaks or playing around with my iPhone. This film has a great story and the acting was spot on. Clearly this gem of a film gets two thumbs up from!!
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8/10
It's A Nice Day To Start Again
angelina5411 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This film is an indie gem about the struggles that accompany addiction...self-sabotage being one of them. Those inner voices can be comforting, even if they're negative, and happiness can be uncomfortable.

I also saw this story as a parable for how women's health is often not taken seriously, even in an emergency. Addiction and mental health is not viewed as urgently as it should be in this country, and the erasure was very clear in this engaging film that makes you root for the underdog.
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10/10
Independent Film at it's best!
sonofflip28 February 2017
This is independent low-budget filmmaking at it's best. It tackles a usually uncovered area of the human experience, alcoholism and female self determination, with an emotional and creative approach that keeps you glued to the screen while also allowing you to make your own connections about the story. Excellent performances, camera-work, themes, and storytelling. Scratches an itch that isn't being handled elsewhere!
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9/10
You find out who you are at your lowest.
priest-21-55690728 July 2019
Great film about self-discovery and trying to make sense of the future that our big choices in life can lead to. Highly recommend !
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9/10
That was emotional
Graham-joey2 August 2019
This was cinema. A fine character piece. If you've ever felt the impulse to runaway from commitments in your life, I highly recommend checking this out. If you've ever been scared of marriage I double that sentiment.

This film isn't quite propulsive but follows a steady beat toward the fire. It played more like music to me than a film. Poetry in motion to some extent. If you're in the mood for something that reminds you that it's okay to not be perfect, watch this ASAP.
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9/10
authentic, raw and unnerving
jblockbuster27 September 2019
Erasing Eden is a indie drama about self discovery as well as self destruction. Eden (played by Breeda Wool who did a marvellous job) has a history of self-sabotage we learn all about when following Eden through her gruelling journey prior her marriage. In order to rediscover herself, she takes said journey, authentic, raw and unnerving. I love that this film is presented from a female perspective, which makes it so relatable for me! I highly recommend it.
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