2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!

TeenzTen An action-packed slog

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Paul (Felix de Givry) is a young man living in a Paris suburb in the early 90s, who has an amazing ability to produce catchy dance tunes on electronic synthesizers that are catching the attention of his local community. These are skills that take him to dizzying heights as the dance music craze takes off, taking him on a journey around the world DJ'ing at the top venues and making a name for himself, only to go crashing down into a self destructive cycle.There is a tendency to measure a music movement or scene only by the mainstream element, rather than focusing on a more cult segment that is arguably more active and has more followers. To those who followed the dance music scene throughout the 90s and into the 00s, looking back it's eye opening to see what a scene it was, and the impression it left on those who followed it. Certainly, to those who were frequenting the clubs at the time or, like me (being too young to get in!) collected the various compilations of the tracks released on CD, Eden will bring back many happy memories, and most likely have them up and dancing throughout, like a modern day Saturday Night Fever! Happily, it's also a success on an artistic level as well. While at first it feels slightly over laborious, throughout the course of the film it truly develops into an engrossing, absorbing tale over the course of a young man's life, following him from humble beginnings, personal tragedies, hitting the big time, before coming full circle and crashing down spectacularly. And better yet, lead star de Givry carries the lead role perfectly, turning in a multi-layered performance and conveying a wide range of emotions that capture the psychological escalation of the character perfectly.This foreign language effort shines a light wonderfully on a magical little scene in music that had a big impact on those who followed it, who will appreciate it even more after seeing this film. And, if all that's not enough, you can marvel as a central character transforms Showgirls into a misunderstood American art piece. *****

Fotodude The main criticism I've seen towards this film is that it has a detached approach, but I thought it worked wonders here, surprisingly. Thing is, you can handle a story about night life in two ways: by focusing on the frenzy and excitement, that ephemeral state of euphoria non-stop party and excess will do to you, and that's probably what most films of this kind do, and thus have little lasting power beyond the final credits. Or you can go for that other feeling often associated with such activity, which is one of emotional vacuum, of estrangement and low mood, which is more profound and permanent. This is what Løve is going for and succeeds in portraying: the life of someone who wants to be a DJ at all costs, and stick to it throughout the years, while knowing he won't be able to afford living like that. So he often feels unsatisfied and lacking in some kind of deeper personal realization. On the other hand, those around him do move forward, in one way or another, and so his relationships with all of them reach some kind of closure, making it even more depressing to him that in over a decade he pretty much hasn't gotten anywhere, hasn't really grown up nor learned anything from when he was a teen. An adequately long runtime, encompassing various states of the main character's life and various locations to where his work takes him, also contribute in making his frustrating journey so believable. Technically the film is a marvel, moving so naturally, so organically, from one sequence to the next, from one set piece to another, with a flow that is obviously aided by a powerful and almost constant soundtrack. If you like house music, it's pretty much guaranteed you'll love this film. But it has a lot of other qualities that really make it worth watching. I hope those of you who haven't seen it do soon.

subxerogravity Cause for me the two coolest moments was the fact that Daft Punk was portrayed in the movie and the scenes were lead character Paul had a DJ gig at PS1, which I went a lot to around the same time the movie takes place.In actuality, it's a good narrative that documents one person's life in this genre of music. The problem I really had with the movie is that I'm not really into the music. That seems kind of weird, I should be able to enjoy it without liking the music, but the whole tone of the picture reflects the culture of the music which I'm not into.It's made for those who love this genre of music. It is filled with references only the scene would find really amusing. the only two I fully got was when Paul told one girlfriend sarcastically that they would be alright financially since he's a DJ and she's a writer and another girlfriend attempt to explain to him what type of music he does, while admitting she's more a rock girl.The sub plot of the movie in which Paul gets caught up in many relationships in his life was interesting, as you got to see them from the beginning and watch as they take it's course, but it's not an interesting enough focus for me to say run out and see it for that. Plus the movie was long. Not just in length, but in pace and storytelling. When the movie begins they let you know this is part one, and just when you thought this long picture was coming to an end another title care comes up that tells you part two is about to start. Not a good idea.The movie does not talk about Daft Punk enough for me to be interested in who else was a part of the scene they grew out of, and the movie's reflection on the scene did not make it more interesting.

Mebmeb2 Loved this movie. Saw it at the Toronto Film Festival. For anyone who grew up listening to this music it is a trip back in time to those amazing days. For those who didn't live the life, the music and the story is infectious. Epic story that follows the main character over many years and misadventures. A story of passion, love, music, disappointment and the joy of life (all wrapped into one). Any time Frankie knuckles whistle tune makes it into a movie is fine with me! My only criticism of the movie would be the fact that many scenes are drawn out over years, if not decades. I hope this film does well at subsequent festivals. Also, the acting is superb. The audience immediately connects with the main character. 10/10