Mia Hansen-Løve's Eden is a love letter to the DJ-electonic music boom that hit France in the 1990s, and here's our latest look at the wild, emotionally turbulent way of life that the rave scene propagated amongst those who got swept up in the groove. I caught Eden at last year's New York Film Festival and like Hansen-Løve's previous films, including the deeply moving film-distribution drama The Father of My Children, it's central concept is time itself. The main character, who is based on the writer-director's brother, who co-wrote the film and is a well-known DJ, spends most of his life spinning records, taking drugs, and tripping through a series of romances, including one with Greta Gerwig's charming American in Paris, but above all, the director evinces a wise understanding of the cyclical nature of life and relationships. The trailer makes Gerwig's presence seem far more central to the narrative than it really is, but her character is crucial to figuring out our DJ protagonist's choice of profession. No fair ruining the surprises of this smart comedic drama, but be prepared to fall in love with this one.

Here's the official synopsis:

EDEN is an affecting trip into the electronic dance movement in Paris whose rhythms echo its textures and feeling.  Based on the experiences of Hansen-Løve's brother (and co-writer) Sven, the film follows Paul (Félix de Givry), a teenager in the underground scene of early-nineties Paris. Rave parties dominate that culture, but he's drawn to the more soulful rhythms of Chicago's garage house. He forms a DJ collective named Cheers (as, in a parallel storyline, two of his friends form one called Daft Punk, who float throughout the movie), and together he and his friends plunge into the ephemeral nightlife of sex, drugs, and endless music.  Shot by Denis Lenoir, Hansen-Løve's film is a shimmering swirl of color, light and baselines - an intoxicating cocktail of euphoria and melancholy as alive as any nightclub.


Watch the trailer below: