Eden is a bizarre movie about a true story, with plenty of off-kilter moments and scenes that at least make the film memorable. Based on a true story of three distinct groups of Europeans who tried to establish new homes for themselves on a remote island in the early 20th century, Eden has the makings of a star-studded character drama. However, Ron Howard’s film hasn’t been able to find much of an audience, whether that be from the mixed critical reception to the tepid box-office results.

Still, it’s worth talking about Eden just for how singularly bizarre it can be at times. Eden is a “based on a true story” movie where the characters walk around naked, give birth while yelling at wild dogs, and develop deep emotional bonds with a donkey. The fact that the cast boasts some of the biggest stars of modern cinema only makes these strange turns all the more memorable. Here are the wildest scenes and moments from Eden that wider audiences might have missed but that I need them to know are in this movie.

Eden Has A ɴuᴅᴇ Jude Law

Anyone who has ever wanted to see Jude Law naked has their prayers answered by Eden, even if it’s not exactly how many were likely picturing such a scenario. When the Baroness arrives on the isle of Floreana, she tries to impress upon everyone her importance and status. In response, Friedrich Ritter walks out to meet her fully ɴuᴅᴇ.

The scene has a full-frontal sH๏τ of Jude Law next to Vanessa Kirby, who seems moderately amused by the power play. What makes the scene truly strange is Eloise’s response, as she more or less brushes the nudity aside and plays to Ritter’s ego in an effort to manipulate him.

The whole time, Law is just standing in his homemade farm, and the nudity is never commented on again. For a movie with a lot of Sєxual elements and scenes but not a great deal of on-screen nudity, Jude Law simply walking into frame with his penis out is a blunt way to amplify the movie’s adult themes.

Jude Law’s Fake Teeth Are So Weird In Eden

A character-defining trait of Jue Law’s Ritter is his lack of teeth. Explained to be a result of potential infections on the island, Ritter has removed all his teeth and usually moves around without them. When he needs to eat something, he dons a pair of metal dentures.

It’s a minor trait that only comes up a few times, but it’s a bizarre character beat that establishes what Ritter is willing to lose in pursuit of his philosophy thesis. It’s also such a minor element that it’s easy to forget until a close-up of Law, which causes a sudden burst of “oh, right!” bizarreness to kick in.

Ana De Armas’ Constant Sєx Scenes Are A Lot, Even For Eden

Eloise is one of the major antagonists of Eden. She’s also an openly Sєxual woman, using her appearance and wiles to win the love of other men. This includes Robert and Rudolph, who are introduced alongside Eloise. Their dynamic is established during a three-way Sєx scene on the beach as soon as they arrive.

Soon, the constant loud Sєx begins to bother the other characters, even serving as a plot beat when Eloise begins to prefer Robert, giving the multiple scenes of off-screen moaning a more uncomfortable element. This consistent and purposefully off-putting element builds to the end of the movie, with Eloise’s final confrontation even interrupting her Sєxual escapades.

It’s such a constant beat for the character that it almost turns into an unofficial game while watching the film. The fact that Eden uses this to further illustrate the toxic nature of her relationship with Rudolph only makes it more uncomfortable, turning the bouts of intercourse into a weird power-play that ends with a brawl with a ɴuᴅᴇ man.

Vanessa Kirby Loves A Donkey (That Daniel Brühl Shoots) In Eden’s Weirdly Emotional Subplot

Ritter’s romantic partner is Dore, played by Vanessa Kirby. Established as a true believer in the philosophy that Ritter is working on. She’s also shown to be connected to the nature of the island in ways Ritter isn’t. This is used to reinforce their eventual split, with one effective way being Ritter’s eventual abandonment of their strict vegetarianism despite Dore’s arguments.

A less subtle way the film does this is by having Dore’s closest emotional bond outside of Ritter be with her donkey. She pets it, refuses to let the Wittmers use it, and even shares a carrot with it, Lady and the Tramp style. Heinz Wittmer being tricked into killing the donkey is even a major plot beat, setting up the final confrontation with Eloise.

There’s something strangely enduring (and slightly silly) about how much Dore bonds with the donkey. Her cries of sadness and horror when it goes missing are some of the biggest emotional moments for the character in the entire film, but their poignant nature is somewhat blunted by the bizarre reality that the movie used donkey murder as an important plot turn.

Sydney Sweeney Scares A Pack Of Hungry Dogs While Giving Birth In Eden

Sydney Sweeney plays Margret Wittmer, the closest thing Eden has to a moral rock. Eventually impregnated by her husband, Margret gives birth to the first baby ever born on the island. It’s a dramatic moment when it happens, and also absolutely wild in its execution. Confronted by wild dogs while going into labor, Margret tries to scare them off mid-contractions.

This builds to Margret roaring at the dogs while standing upright, giving birth all by herself and cradling the baby while screaming at the dogs. It’s a truly wild beat, only made darker by the fact that Eloise uses the opportunity to have her men steal supplies from the Whittmers and leave Margret to her fate.

In terms of the plot, this beat goes a long way to showcasing Margret’s enduring spirit and the depths of Eloise’s selfish nature. However, the execution is so memorably strange, Sweeney’s screaming face and the quick cuts to confused dogs and a baby being born make the scene memorable in a way I’m not sure Ron Howard intended.

A Documentarian Brings A Full String Band To The Remote Island In Eden

About halfway through Eden, Richard Roxburgh arrives as the wealthy American industrialist Allan Hancock. A friend of Ritter, Hancock largely serves as a breath of fresh air and relative normalcy after the chaos of the preceding film. However, there are a few touches about the character that make him just as strange as the rest of the film.

This includes his decision to bring a full string band to the island, leading to an impromptu concert that’s just as confounding as it is well-played. Hancock also ignores Eloise’s attempted seduction and openly mocks her tactics before packing up and going, content with the footage he’s gotten for his documentary.

Eden’s Vanessa Kirby Character Gets A Tooth Ripped Out During A “Love” Scene

The collapse of Dore and Ritter’s relationship is one of the big tragedies of Eden. Their bond was established early on as a largely loving one, even if there were hints at the controlling nature of Ritter. However, he becomes increasingly cruel to her as the film goes on, first sliding in some insults before becoming more physically aggressive.

This arc builds well into the final turn of the film, but it also takes a very bizarre turn when Dore threatens to leave Ritter. Initially brushing it off and then becoming aggressive, Ritter and Dore’s dysfunctional relationship takes a very harsh turn when Ritter decides to start pulling out Dore’s teeth to match his own toothless mouth.

He only gets one out with a pair of pliers before the attack turns into a dark Sєxual encounter. For the rest of the film, Dore is missing a tooth, which plays into her manner of poisoning Ritter and then not eating the food because of her tooth pain. Even after the rest of the movie’s dark turns, this scene is a step too far.

The Big Final Fight Of Eden Is Against A Naked Guy

Eden‘s biggest fight comes when Ritter, Heinz, and Rudolph decide to confront Eloise for her actions and manipulations. Interrupting her and Robert, the trio are shocked when a fully ɴuᴅᴇ Robert sprints out of the tent to attack them. Despite possessing guns, the trio is barely able to put up a good fight against the naked Robert.

The sudden burst of action and violence is only made odder by the sH๏τs of Robert’s behind as he races towards people, or using the knife Rudolph stabbed him with to try and pierce his former friend’s throat. The fight’s final beat (Heinz kills Robert and then Ritter kills Eloise) works well, but is made odder by the fight that came before it.

Jude Law Is Killed By Tainted Chicken In Eden’s Wild Climax

The final scenes between Jude Law and Vanessa Kirby are well done in their own way, simmering hatred and delirious joy building to her decision to kill him in a well-acted beat. What makes this weird, though, is the way it’s done: through tainted chicken. Having accidentally killed many of Dore’s chickens with tainted feed, Dore gives the poisoned meat to Ritter.

The result is Jude Law’s character getting a fatal case of food poisoning in Eden‘s ending — all because of bad poultry. The fact that Dore’s connection to their animals seems to be the final motivation and murder weapon gives Vanessa Kirby’s performance a bizarre touch that speaks to the strange elements that make Eden at least a memorable historical drama.