Eden (2012 film)

Eden (Abduction of Eden)
Directed by Megan Griffiths
Produced by Colin Harper Plank
Jacob Mosler
Screenplay by Richard B. Phillips
Megan Griffiths
Story by Richard B. Phillips
Chong Kim
Starring Jamie Chung
Matt O'Leary
Beau Bridges
Music by Jeramy Koepping
Joshua Morrison
Matthew Brown
Cinematography Sean Porter
Edited by Eric Frith
Production
company
Centripetal Films
Distributed by Phase 4 Films
Cinema Management Group (International Sales Agent)
Release dates
  • March 11, 2012 (2012-03-11) (South by Southwest)
Running time
 98 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Eden (Abduction of Eden) is a 2012 American dramatic film about human trafficking. It was directed by Megan Griffiths, who co-wrote the screenplay with Richard B. Phillips and stars Jamie Chung, Matt O'Leary and Beau Bridges. The film was produced by Colin Harper Plank and Jacob Mosler through Plank's Centripetal Films production company. It was inspired by the story of Chong Kim, who claims that she was kidnapped and sold into a domestic human trafficking ring in the mid 1990s.[1][2][3] It had its world premiere at the 2012 South by Southwest Film Festival.[4]

In 2014, the non-profit organization Breaking Out claimed they had investigated Kim's story and concluded it was false and aimed to defraud charitable organizations.[5][6][7][8]

Plot

Hyun Jae, or Jae for short, is an 18-year-old Korean-American girl living in New Mexico in 1994 with her immigrant parents, working at their taxidermy shop. After convincing her reluctant mother to let her stay out late on a Friday, she joins her friend Abbie at a local bar with a fake ID. Jae meets a good-looking young man with a firefighter badge and accepts his offer to drive her home. In the car, Jae notices there is a policeman costume in the backseat and that the firefighter badge is fake. Jae attempts to escape from the car but is caught. She is bound, gagged, and thrown into the trunk of a second car driven by a second man.

Jae is taken to an isolated warehouse in the middle of the desert, where she is put in a makeshift hospital room and has her braces forcibly removed and other belongings disposed of. Confused and terrified, Jae meets the presumed leader of the operation, a corrupt federal marshal named Bob Gault, and his overseer, the violently short-tempered and drug-addicted Vaughan. After confirming her suspicions that she is now part of a sex-trafficking ring, Gault christens her with a new name, Eden, after the place where she used to live with her family, and tells her that any acts of trouble could end with the harm of her family. Gault tells her that she has a few days to accept this reality and, after that, she will start working for him. Living with many young girls from all parts of the world who are frequently sent out for “work," Eden is first forced to star in an adult video. Later, Vaughan takes Eden to meet her first "private client," where she attempts to escape by injuring the client and running to a neighboring house for help. Vaughan quickly captures Eden and, after convincing the startled neighbors not to call police, takes her back to the warehouse, where she is punished by being forced to lie in a tub full of ice for several hours.

A year passes, and Eden has befriended a fellow victim, Priscilla, who warns her not to let the leaders of the organization know her real age. Before Eden can learn more, Priscilla is abruptly taken away to an unknown destination. Eden now knows she has little time left before she is no longer useful to her captors and may be killed. When she tells Vaughan that he’s being consistently scammed by their clients, Vaughan realizes Eden’s potential and takes her under his wing. Drawing her out of the “field” of sex work, he gives her an office job answering phone calls from clients and allowing her to join him on trips running errands for the organization. A bond forms between the two, with Eden staying silent after she witnesses Vaughan brutally murder Bob during a boat trip to dispose of two other bodies. Vaughan eventually takes her to the house of a man named Mario. Recognizing Mario as the one who brought her to the warehouse in the trunk of his car, Eden grows suspicious and explores his house, discovering a pregnant Priscilla, who is pleasantly ignorant of the fate of her unborn child (Mario's house is where pregnant captives give birth, and their babies are then sold). Eden leaves visibly disturbed. Vaughan makes her prove her loyalty to the organization by forcing her to almost execute one of the other girls, stopping her at the last second.

When Eden and Vaughan return to the warehouse, they are told that one of their men betrayed the company and that they need to relocate. All of the girls are packed into vans and their belongings are burned and disposed of. Eden and Vaughan go to a safe house to collect what they need before the trip. Vaughan reveals to Eden that they are moving to Dubai, before leaving her on the couch. Eden decides that she must make her escape. Eden takes Vaughan’s meth pipe from the table and sprays over-the-counter cleaning solution into the tube before placing it in the same spot. When Vaughan returns, he tells her that she doesn’t have to worry about Dubai and that they are “partners.” He takes a hit from his pipe, begins to choke and dies. Eden then cuts her location bracelet from her ankle and drives to Mario’s house, where she tricks him into leading her to Priscilla’s room before injecting him with morphine. Running into Priscilla’s room, Eden reveals that her baby was sold and that they have to leave. They drive off into the desert until they reach a pay phone, where Eden calls her mother.

Cast

Production

Eden was produced by Centripetal Films and filmed in Washington State in the summer of 2011, with a largely local crew and funding assistance from Washington Filmworks, a government supported non-profit organization that provides financial support for films produced in Washington State. The idea for the film came into being when screenwriter Richard B. Phillips contacted Chong Kim after reading a newspaper article about her account of being sold into and escaping a domestic human trafficking ring. Phillips then proposed the idea of writing a screenplay based on Kim's story. Kim agreed, and the two of them set about writing a story for the film. That story was later turned into a screenplay by Phillips. Plank then hired Megan Griffiths to revise the script, and later hired Griffiths to direct the film.[3]

Critical reception

Eden has a score of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 33 reviews.[9] Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times said the film was "never less than suspenseful, but rather than sentimentally pander to easy outrage, or indulge in icky women-in-distress titillation, the movie...zeros in on the details of how dignity can be stripped like bark from a tree, and the queasy determination it takes to stay alive in a living hell."[10] Jeff Shannon from Seattle Times awarded the film with 3 out of 4 stars and said that "Cruelty, bloodletting and death are evident throughout (frequently occurring just outside the frame), and Griffith's laudable discretion actually intensifies their impact."[11] Stephen Holden of the New York Times said that "Enough films about human trafficking have been made in recent years that the outlines of Eden should be painfully familiar. But that familiarity doesn’t cushion this movie’s excruciating vision."[1] Along with Holden's review Eden was also selected as one of New York Times Critics' Pick.[1] Stephanie Carrie of the Village Voice said "overall, this is a powerful addition to the small collection of films dedicated to spreading awareness of this horrific crime."[12]

Many critics particularly praised the performance of Jamie Chung. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said that "a very strong performance from Chung impresses".[13] Matthew Turner of ViewLondon said "Chung duly steps up, delivering an emotionally complex performance that requires her to keep her true feelings closely guarded (we also see her distance herself from her work by adopting a different persona)" and ended by saying that it was a "terrific central performance from Jamie Chung".[14] Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic wrote "a quite moving performance comes from Jamie Chung as Eden, repulsion sliding into fearful acceptance without the extinction of hope."[15]

Some reviews were negative. Farran Smith Nehme of the New York Post called it "a Lifetime movie gone upscale-grindhouse" and criticized the South by Southwest festival's decision to give the film an award. Nehme also questioned the film's authenticity.[16] David Fear of Time Out said the film's second half "head[s] south of ludicrous, [and] Eden’s goodwill dissipates." Fear also questioned the film's authenticity.[17]

Accusations of fraud

On June 4, 2014, the non-profit anti-trafficking organization Breaking Out announced on their Facebook page that, after a year-long investigation of Chong Kim and her life, they had "found no truth to her story. In fact, we found a lot of fraud, lies, and most horrifically capitalizing and making money on an issue where so many people are suffering from [sic]." Breaking Out also accused Kim of defrauding several organizations out of charitable donations and announced a coming lawsuit. Later that day, Griffiths commented on her Twitter account, "I just heard about this today and it came as a shock. I am deeply concerned about it."[6] Eden's official website claims that "A portion of the net profits from EDEN will benefit anti-slavery organizations."[18] Kim responded on her Facebook page, stating "I don't appreciate you spreading lies about me … Whatever you claim to have I have the right to see it otherwise I will send you and your organization a formal complaint."[7]

After these accusations arose, Noah Berlatsky of Salon compared Kim to Somaly Mam and commented that the film was thickly layered with exploitation tropes and improbable scenarios. Berlatsky found it shocking that "anyone took this clearly fanciful, clearly derivative fiction for fact".[5] Journalist Elizabeth Nolan Brown criticized "the authors who repeated Kim's story, the journalists who interviewed her, the organizations that brought her on as a speaker, or any of the myriad people behind the 'based on a true story' Eden" for not checking and verifying Kim's claims.[7] Journalist Mike Ludwig argued that the narrative promoted by the film harmed consensual sex workers.[8] Seattle sex worker Mistress Matisse had been questioning the veracity of the film since 2012.[6] Matisse stated that Colin Plank and Megan Griffiths "perpetrated a fraud in their movie called Eden." [19]

The Stranger journalist David Schmader had previously called the film a masterpiece and the best film ever made in Seattle,[20] but has since called its back story "bullshit."[6] Stranger writer Jen Graves was highly critical of Griffith's lack of research into Kim's story and regretted her initial support of the film. Since Breaking Out first made their allegations, Griffiths and others directly associated with the film have refused to comment further,[19] but the film's official website continues to promote the film as "Inspired by the harrowing true story of Chong Kim."[21] In 2012 Griffiths won the Stranger Film Genius Award. Charles Mudede, a Stranger writer and former winner of the award, wrote that Eden had "secured her nomination" and was "a masterpiece".[22]

On June 25, 2014 Kim's PR firm Bradshaw & Co. publicly denied the allegations and referenced a pending lawsuit.[23] Since its initial allegation, Breaking Out has continued to release information about Kim on their Facebook page, including court documents detailing Kim’s 2009 felony charge of theft by swindle, for which Kim was ordered to pay $15,000[19] "to another human trafficking victim and activist in Minnesota."[8]

Awards and accolades

The film premiered at the 2012 South by Southwest film festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, Special Jury Recognition for Best Actress, Jamie Chung, and the award for Emergent Narrative Female Director, Megan Griffiths.[24]

It also won the Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actress, Jamie Chung and the Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision; Seattle Reel NW Award at the 2012 Seattle International Film Festival.[25]

It also won the Audience Award for Best Film at the 2012 San Diego Asian Film Festival[26]

Release

Eden was released theatrically in North America by Phase 4 Films on March 20, 2013 at Film Forum in New York City.[27] It also played theatrically in Los Angeles and Seattle, followed by a release on VOD on April 20, 2013. It was released on DVD on June 11, 2013. The DVD and Blu-ray were released in the UK by Queensway Digital Ltd on September 9, 2013.[28]

A May 2013 screening in Seattle included a panel discussion about human trafficking sponsored by Hope for Justice and the World Affairs Council of Seattle, with panelists including Washington State senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles and YouthCare social worker Leslie Briner. Kohl-Welles had sponsored an anti-sex trafficking bill in the Washington State congress earlier that year[29] and would be a major supporter of the Motion Picture Competitiveness Bill.[30] Kohl-Welles and Griffiths were later panelists of the 2014 Seattle Film Summit, which called Kohl-Welles "the most vocal and reliable supporters of the State’s film industry",[31] and Griffiths spoke at an October 2014 fundraiser in support of Kohl-Welles's re-election.[32]

The international distribution rights were licensed by Cinema Management Group.[33]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Holden, Stephen (19 March 2013). "True Story Inspires Tale of Sex Trade; in a Twist, a U.S. Marshal Is the Bad Guy". New York Times.
  2. ↑ "Former sex slave shares story". The Ithacan. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Survivor of human trafficking and sex slavery on set for film shooting in Kirkland". Kirkland Reporter. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  4. ↑ "Eden". SXSW Schedule. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  5. 1 2 Berlatsky, Noah (4 June 2014). "Hollywood's dangerous obsession with sex trafficking". Salon. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Schmader, David (4 June 2014). "Chong Kim, the Woman Whose Allegedly True Story Served as the Basis for Megan Griffith's Film Eden, Denounced as a Fraud". The Stranger. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 Brown, Elizabeth Nolan (12 June 2014). "Another High-Profile Sex Trafficking Tale May Be Falling Apart". Reason. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 Ludwig, Mike (9 July 2014). "From Somaly Mam to Eden: How Sex Trafficking Sensationalism Hurts Sex Workers". Truthout. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "Eden". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  10. ↑ Abele, Robert (28 March 2013). "Chilling look inside a sex ring called 'Eden'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  11. ↑ Shannon, Jeff (2 May 2013). "'Eden': a harrowing tale of sex trafficking". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  12. ↑ Carrie, Stephanie (20 March 2013). "Eden: A Chilling Account of a Horrific Crime". Village Voice. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  13. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (18 July 2013). "Eden – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  14. ↑ Turner, Matthew. "Eden Film Review". View London. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  15. ↑ Kauffman, Stanley (27 March 2013). "Reality, Eden and The Silence". The New Republic. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  16. ↑ Nehme, Farran Smith (22 March 2013). "'Eden' review". New York Post.
  17. ↑ Fear, David (19 March 2013). "Eden: movie review". Time Out New York.
  18. ↑ "See the movie Eden and help put an end to human trafficking". Eden. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014.
  19. 1 2 3 Graves, Jen (17 December 2014). "Eden Was a Scary Movie About Sex-Trafficking Based on a True Story—Or Was It?". The Stranger. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  20. ↑ Schmader, David (1 May 2013). "Real-World Horror, Film-World Triumph". The Stranger. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  21. ↑ "The Story of EDEN". Eden. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  22. ↑ Mudede, Charles. "Geniuses - The Stranger's Genius Awards". The Stranger.
  23. ↑ "Chong Kim, former human sex trafficking victim is victimized again". PRLog Press Release Distribution.
  24. ↑ "Film News - SXSW 2014". SXSW. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  25. ↑ SIFF 2012 Award Winners at the Wayback Machine (archived September 4, 2012). siff.net
  26. ↑ "2012 SDAFF Recap". Pacific Arts Movement. 3 November 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  27. ↑ "EDEN - Movies". Film Forum. Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  28. ↑ "Product Detail". Archived from the original on 3 January 2014.
  29. ↑ "SIFF to host 'Eden' panel discussion". Magnolia News. 3 May 2013.
  30. ↑ "Tax Incentives Archives". Media Inc.
  31. ↑ "Featured Panelists". seattlefilmsummit.com.
  32. ↑ "Film Community Fundraiser for Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles!". 36th.org.
  33. ↑ "CMG adds SXSW audience award winner Eden to Cannes slate". Screen Daily. Retrieved 12 April 2012.

External links

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