The Absence of Eden

2023

Drama

13
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 76% · 17 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 76% · 50 ratings
IMDb Rating 4.7/10 10 805 805

brisk empathetic

Plot summary

An ICE Agent struggling with the moral dilemmas of border security and an undocumented woman fighting to escape a ruthless cartel cross paths and work together to save the life of an innocent girl.

Director

Marco Perego Photo
Marco Perego

Top cast

Zoe Saldana Photo
Zoe Saldana as Esmee / Carmen
Adria Arjona Photo
Adria Arjona as Yadira
Sarah Minnich Photo
Sarah Minnich as Rebecca
Garrett Hedlund Photo
Garrett Hedlund as Shipp
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
783.79 MB
1280*534
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 25 min
Seeds 6
1.57 GB
1920*800
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 25 min
Seeds 8

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by cruise01 2 / 10

Horrible

1 out of 5 stars.The Absense of Eden is a horrible thriller film about a immigrant trying to find a better life. Only to work for a shady guy. And another story of a ICE agent dating a girl who is working for the cartel.Plot with intertwining stories. The script never resolves anything in the end. Characters are left unresolved. The story ends abruptly. The direction is dull and boring. The acting is forgettable. The characters are bland. Not much happens in the film.It is a film that misses the opportunity for it to be emotional with what the characters are going through. Overall it is a film that is worth skipping.
Reviewed by KataclysmCritic 4 / 10

Zoe Saldana is too good for this movie! Desperately in need of a more concise storyline and a better ending

Absolutely in love with Zoe Saldana. To be honest, all the actors/actresses did a really great job in this film, but the issue isn't with the acting... the issues lie with the storyline. Things started off strong and caught my attention really quickly - An immigrant woman who is fleeing from her abuser only to come in contact with more abuse while trying to get over the border. She bonds with a young girl who gets separated from her mother and Zoe's character becomes protective over the girl. This movie had everything to be an amazing, highly recommended movie, but the lack of execution in the storyline was so disappointing! What happened? Where did they end up? Where are they now? The abrupt ending leaves you with such a long list of questions. I hate movies that leave the story unfinished or that leave the plot at the peak with no real ending which is sadly, exactly what happened in this movie. What could've been a solid 7-8 star rating plummeted to a 3-4 star rating due to the lack of ending and lack of answers.
Reviewed by ferguson-6 7 / 10

reality bites

Greetings again from the darkness. "It's us or them." That's a line spoken by one of the ICE officers after a particularly physical and dangerous altercation with an illegal immigrant. In this particular instance, the words ring true. However, writer-director Marco Perego and co-writer Rick Rapoza show both sides of this coin that has generated so much passionate debate among politicians and the citizenry. The film strives to show the humanity of all involved, and how a lack of humanity can cause more problems than it solves.Garrett Hedlund (MUDBOUND, 20 17) stars as Shipp, a new ICE recruit. We see him volunteer to be first in the "Taser Training" so that he knows what the recipient experiences. He's a man of few words, though he seems smitten with his girlfriend Yadira (Adria Arjona, MORBIUS, 2022), a single mom who may or may not be withholding pertinent information. Shipp's more experienced ICE partner, Dobbins (Chris Coy, THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS), is the one who speaks the line of dialogue quoted above. Dobbins has a singular view of his job and of those crossing the border illegally, while Shipp is a bit more confused on how best to handle things.The other key story here revolves around Esmee (Zoe Saldana, Gamora in the Marvel Universe). She's an exotic dancer in Mexico until her self-defense against one customer goes sideways and she's forced to flee. Her trek to the border finds her protecting a young girl, and then getting dragged into the underworld. There is a scene with a drug dealer that features one of my cinematic pet peeves. Why is it when a drug dealer gives a phone to someone and tells them to keep it on at all times, they never furnish a charger? I can understand a lack of respect, but that phone isn't going to last long without a charger. Just a minor rant that I often need to release after a movie.Director Perego is a renowned conceptual artist and he's married to Zoe Saldana. Together they depict the realities at the U. S. southern border. ICE is working to follow guidelines, while immigrants are in search of a better life. Things sometimes don't work out well for either. We see the ICE raids and we see the daily struggles of immigrants. Despite this, there seems to be no solution in sight, so the conflicts carry on day after day.Opens in theaters on April 12, 2024.
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