Least of Eden

EDEN (B-minus) - This passionate brother-sister project from France sets out to tell the story of that country's house music scene of the past two decades, but it never finds a satisfying rhythm.

Director Mia Hansen-Love ("Goodbye First Love") penned the script with her brother, Sven, based on his life as a DJ struggling to break through to the big time but stumbling along perpetually, tripped up by drugs, bad luck, and mounting debt. Fresh-faced Felix de Givry ("Something in the Air") stars as Paul, puppy-dog cute and determined to follow his dream with his partner, Stan (Hugo Conzelmann). They spin "garage" music, a mix of house and classic disco.

Hansen-Love occasionally creates transcendent moments conveying the joys of the dance-club experience. Characters pogo on the dance floor, sometimes in slow motion, blissing out to the beat. Several times, her sound mix brings in the natural voices of the dancers singing along in unison to some of the era's defining tracks. The feelings of rapture are undeniable. That includes the trippy "Sueno Latino" that bubbles beneath the opening credits:



But Hansen-Love fumbles too often with her narrative choices. She chooses to sprawl across 20 years, aging her characters unconvincingly. (De Givry just can't pull off pushing 40.) She would have been better off either confining this to just a few years or going with a documentary. She constantly returns to Paul's low-key clashes with his mother, who wants him to finish his college studies and straighten himself out. Paul is a bit of a cipher, and it's difficult to fully give in to a recounting of his life story. She would have been better served with a more narrowly focused period piece (like Elaine Constantine's "Northern Soul," which stuck with the early '70s) and a shorter run time.

Another problem is Love's decision to cast similar-looking actors to play main characters. The love interests seem like interchangeable pixie chicks. When Laura Smet ("The Bridesmaid," "Gilles' Wife") shows up as the free-spirited Margot, her arresting presence makes everyone else melt into the background. Alas, Margot -- a temptation for Paul -- is a wasted opportunity, and she's gone too quickly. The film then drifts along, limping to a 131-minute finish. (An extended cameo by Greta Gerwig as a married love interest also falls flat.)

The director also drags Paul and Stan's entourage to New York and then Chicago, merely because she can name-drop big names from those local scenes, like Frankie Knuckles (whose "Whistle Song" is featured). Hansen-Love just doesn't have the skills to juggle so many characters over several eras. The death of one member of the inner circle carries little emotional impact.

But "Eden" is not without its charms. Some free-form scenes work up a delightful camaraderie among the scenesters, often revolving around awkward hook-ups and/or piles of cocaine. A running gag finds the duo from Daft Punk, Guy and Thomas, getting turned away by doormen who don't recognize the pair (who famously perform in masks), only for them to be rescued by someone who recognizes the underground superstars and invites them in.

Hansen-Love has a flair for creating a mood, and she is facile behind the camera. She's just too close to the biographical background here. She overreached in shooting for an epic. "Eden" is simply too tepid to be memorable.

BONUS TRACKS
A winning soundtrack features some classic tracks, such as the breakthrough hit from Daft Punk:



Crystal Waters with "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)":