"Must be difficult. Trying to hide and remind the world you exist."
Eden is a 2016 Irish film, directed by Robbie Walsh (of Love/Hate and Michael Inside fame).
The film follows a homeless man called Adam (Johnny Elliott) as he goes about his day trying to keep himself occupied - interacting with various residents of Dublin City.
Tropes:
- A Boy and His X: One of the earliest sequences in the film is Adam playing with a dog in the park.
- Beard of Sorrow: Well justified since Adam's homeless and therefore probably doesn't get many opportunities to shave.
- Bitch Alert: The woman at the bus stop deliberately trying to ignore Adam when he walks by signals that she's not going to bring much joy to his day.
- Crazy Homeless People: Averted with Adam, who's quite subdued. But he encounters a pair of other junkies, one of whom misplaced his own pants while sleeping and another who threatens people with a dirty needle.
- Deus ex Machina: Mentioned by the taxi driver, who was formerly homeless. When he ended up with hypothermia, the government stepped in with an allowance - which was enough for him to get back on his feet. Adam has no such luck.
- Dublin Skanger: One minor character who jabs people with his used heroin needle.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Adam calls out a rude woman at the bus stop who goes out of her way to ignore him.
- Dying Dream: While dying outside the park, Adam dreams of the day he was evicted from his house.
- Extremely Short Timespan: The film covers only one day, with the first and last scenes being the morning.
- Friend to All Children:
- Adam has a soft spot for children considering he is a father himself. He gives Claire the prostitute the twenty euro note to treat her daughter on her birthday and mentions making sure the children at the playground he sleeps in don't see him.
- Eve admits to breaking off a relationship to a father separated from his wife because she didn't want to be responsible for the child growing up without a father. She also mentions that she's helping reunite a boy with his estranged mother.
- Given Name Reveal: The prostitute Adam had talked to earlier is found depressed because all her money had been stolen. After Adam talks to her, he asks her to reveal her first name. It's Claire.
- Gold Digger: A rich thirtysomething who's just lost his job mentions a fiance who he knows doesn't love him - "all she loves is money" - and is only with him after years of buying her affection.
- High-Class Gloves: Eve wears a pair and says they are fleece-lined.
- Homeless Pigeon Person: Downplayed. Adam spends some time playing with a dog he finds in the park, and spends more time watching ducks in the river.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Claire is revealed to have one, as she's trying to earn money for her daughter's birthday.
- Implied Love Interest: What else would you expect when Adam meets Eve?
- Irony: Eve works for a charity and is introduced when Adam shows charity to her.
- Lame Pun Reaction: Adam bursts out laughing when he finds out he's talking to a woman called Eve.
- Laser-Guided Karma: A posh twentysomething antagonises Adam for no good reason, and mockingly only gives him a 50 cent coin. He and his girlfriend are then mugged by a junkie.
- Leave the Camera Running: A lot of shots run quite long, giving the film an almost documentary feel.
- Lower-Class Lout: The homeless man who threatens Adam early on.
- Manly Tears: Adam by accident when he tells his backstory to Eve.
- Minimalist Cast: Adam will rarely spend a scene with more than one other character (the exception being when a posh boy and his girlfriend approach him.
- Mirror Character: Adam and the prostitute Claire's situations parallel each other, and both have children they wish to provide for.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: The posh boy's girlfriend tries to stop him being nastier to Adam or antagonising the junkie even further. She ends up getting stabbed with his needle.
- Not What It Looks Like: Adam has to explain to a taxi driver who finds him leaning against his car that he wasn't attempting to steal it.
- The Oner: When Adam and Eve are in the coffee shop, the camera repeatedly moves back and forth from one to the other for about three minutes.
- Parents as People: Adam is a father himself whose wife left him, leading to his homelessness.
- Pet the Dog: The taxi driver gives Adam a twenty after they've had a chat.
- Shoot the Shaggy Dog: Adam dies on the street from an infection, having accomplished nothing besides helping Claire and Eve the previous day.
- Slice of Life: The film just examines Adam's day and how he aimlessly goes through life.
- Slobs Versus Snobs: Present when Adam has a run-in with a posh boy and earlier with a woman who appears middle-class and snobby.
- Streetwalker: Adam has an interaction with a prostitute called Claire, though he's surprised to find out that's what she does."But you're stunning looking!"
- Sweet and Sour Grapes: Adam is given twenty euro by a kindly taxi driver. He then encounters the prostitute Claire, who has just been robbed and was hoping to make enough money to treat her daughter for her birthday. Adam gives her the twenty. Immediately after, he notices a woman drop a bundle of money. When he gives it back to her, she treats him to a cup of coffee.
- Troubled Back Story Flashback: Adam occasionally gets flashbacks of when he was evicted from his house.
- Uptown Girl: Eve clearly comes from privilege, with her designer wardrobe and posh accent. If she is especially wealthy, she'd be Spoiled Sweet.
