Leaving everything behind and settling on a remote island with only the bare essentials is an idea we've probably all had at some point in our lives. But not many manage to realize this desire. In Ron Howard's Eden, we meet a group of Europeans who had not only considered distancing themselves from human civilization but had spent years trying to realize their idea of "how life should be."
Eden is based on a true story: Dr. Friedrich Ritter, a German physician, moved to the remote island of Floreana in the Galapagos Islands in 1929 with his partner, Dore Straunch. The economic crisis following World War I, followed by the rise of fascism, led Ritter to make the decision to remove himself from the chaos. He began working on a manifesto for his radical new philosophy, aimed at saving the world. He wrote letters that were sometimes picked up by ships passing by the island, and this is how the world learned about his experimental lifestyle.
Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Noah Pink, Ron Howard
Stars: Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby
Friedrich and Dore were well aware that the entire world was watching their experiment from a distance. People expected them to develop a revolutionary philosophy that would help them reimagine life itself. Friedrich and Dore quoted their favorite philosophers in their daily conversations and prided themselves on surviving on the island on a vegetarian diet. They were building an "ideal" life, and perhaps deep down, they always knew that their hardships and sacrifices would one day bear great fruit. In addition to writing a pioneering manifesto, Friedrich also hoped to cure Dore of multiple sclerosis simply through willpower, and Dore trusted his instincts. The couple appreciated solitude and were not pleased by the arrival of a family of three.
Heinz and Margaret Wittmer excitedly arrived at Friedrich and Dore's doorstep on the remote island. They had come with their son, Harry, who was suffering from tuberculosis. Their doctor had recommended placing their son in a sanatorium, but they couldn't afford it. When Heinz heard about Friedrich's experiment, he decided to follow in his footsteps. He was confident that the fresh air would heal Harry and was ready to overcome the hardships of living on the island. Friedrich made it very clear that living there would not be easy; there were two freshwater springs, and therefore the summers were unforgiving. Wild animals were everywhere, so safety was also a concern. But his warning didn't scare the Wittmers away. Friedrich recommended they stay in one of the pirates' caves and confidently told Dore that their new neighbors wouldn't be staying long. But Friedrich was completely wrong.
The Wittmers had no choice but to make the most of what the island had to offer. They dug a makeshift well to collect water from the spring, worked around the clock to build their own farm in the front yard, and eventually moved from the dangerous, mosquito-infested cave to a stone house they built in just a few months. Friedrich and Dore were amazed by the result. Friedrich envied how well the Wittmers had managed to support themselves. He was supposed to be the one to teach the world how to live an ideal life, but there he was, feeling like a complete failure.
He couldn't accept that an ordinary couple (who lacked the philosophical prowess of Friedrich and Dore) would do what they thought was impossible for anyone else. The Wittmers tried to maintain a friendly relationship with Friedrich and Dore, but their mere presence made them feel defeated. When Heinz begged Friedrich to help Margaret give birth, he refused. Margaret ended up giving birth alone, but luckily Friedrich appeared when she experienced postpartum complications. Hainz was grateful to Friedrich, and while this helped ease the tension between them, they never truly developed a friendly relationship.
While the doctor and the Wittmers preferred to keep their interactions to a minimum, things gradually changed when Baroness Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn settled on the island. The self-proclaimed Baroness was apparently a cabaret dancer, driven by a desperate desire for wealth. Upon learning of the doctor's experiment in the Galapagos, she assumed it might be her ticket to the lottery. The Baroness planned to build a hotel on the island, but the current inhabitants of Floreana weren't happy with her proposal. She was a typical capitalist who saw an opportunity in the island's popularity. She knew the story would sell, and she just needed investors who believed in her vision. She had assumed the process would be easy, but living on the island wasn't as dreamy as the newspapers portrayed it.
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