Summary
Eli is a supernatural horror film released in 2019 and directed by Ciarán Foy. It was written by David Chirchirillo, Ian Goldberg, and Richard Naing. Paramount Players and Intrepid Pictures were the producers, and the film was released on Netflix. Since its release, the film has been noted for its creepy setting, intriguing storyline, and a twist ending that completely alters the genre of the film.
The film’s focus is on a boy suffering from a rare autoimmune disorder, Eli Miller, portrayed by Charlie Shotwell. Eli is afflicted with an autoimmune disease that is exceptionally rare and terminal in nature. It makes him “allergic” to the outside world. His loving parents, Rose (Kelly Reilly) and Paul (Max Martini), become desperate for a cure and put all their faith in a treatment developed by a remote medical facility run by Dr. Isabella Horn (Lili Taylor). Rose and Paul try their best to support their son by taking him to a facility that promises a revolutionary treatment.
The facility, an old, gothic mansion turned into a sterile medical ward, is geographically isolated and surrounded with dense wilderness. As Eli begins his treatment that includes an intensive, and highly painful, three-stage procedure, he starts to undergo a series of strange visions. Eli begins to experience ghostly encounters such as hearing strange whispers, seeing blurry faces, and written words appear on foggy windows and mirrors.
Initially, the adults in his life brush his fears off as either a side effect of the medication, emotional stress, or simply his imagination. Even his mother, who tends to be quite protective, encourages him to have faith in Dr. Horn. Yet, Eli’s episodes become more acute. He begins to have violent episodes and becomes hyper-vigilant. At this point, Eli begins to piece together ‘something’ inside the facility is off and begins to suspect the “treatment” might be a guise for something more sinister.
Haley (Sadie Sink), a local girl who appears at Eli’s window and sneaks into his room to talk to him adds to the mystery. Unlike the other characters, Haley is honest and offers Eli cryptic warnings about not trusting the doctors. She serves as his only source of external validation and support, but her own motives for helping him are unclear.
Further into his investigatons, Eli uncovers records confirming his fears when he learns he is not the only child to have undergone the treatment – all of the previous child patients died in the third and final stage. Dr. Horn is adamant Eli must finish the procedure to survive, but at this point, Eli believes he is being either subjected to a cruel experiment or offered in sacrifice.
Eli now angrily demands to leave and confronts his parents. This is where the film shifts from supernatural thriller to far darker themes. During the last treatment, Eli’s powers fully emerge. Not only is he not dying, he’s never actually been sick. What he thought were symptoms of a medical condition were actually manifestations of his true nature.
Eli in a climactic reveal discovers that he is not a human child at all, but the offspring of the devil. His parents had made a deal to have a child and Dr. Horn, a nun who had transformed into a scientist, had been trying to “cure” children born of such a union. Eli’s so-called treatments were really exorcisms disguised to stifle his demonic essence.
Eli is actually a half-demon, as he is a child of Satan. When he learns the truth, he goes on a fiery rampage, killing the staff, Dr. Horn and her assistants included. His mother aids in his escape, and outside he reunites with Haley. Haley explains that she, too, is a child of Satan and and has been trying to help him accept himself.
Eli drives off with Haley, in the driver’s seat of his powers and searching for a vague yet ominous suggestion of wreaking havoc with a father. This notion of his full control over his chaos makes me fear for the world.
Cast & Crew
Director:
Ciaran Foy is known for directing Citadel and Sinister 2, as he specializes in the atmospheric horrors of psychologically intense films. Throughout Eli, his ability to induce tension and claustrophobia in scenes in the first half of the movie is a marvel.
Writers:
Richard Naing, Ian Goldberg and David Chirchirillo are the horror, mystery and macabre joing together to create a multigenre movie that divides audiences. It is fascinating in that these are its first impression, as the script was on the Black List.
Producers:
Trevor Macy and John Zaozirny. Macy has produced a number of prominent horror titles with Intrepid Pictures, like Gerald’s Game and The Haunting of Hill House.
Main Cast:
Charlie Shotwell as Eli Miller
Shotwell, as Eli, bears a considerable portion of the film’s weight. His performance is an impressive display of range as he goes from weak and afraid to strong and vengeful. The audience sees the story through Eli’s bewildered and terrified lens and experience.
Lili Taylor as Dr. Isabella Horn
Calm as Taylor’s Dr. Isabella Horn is, she is a gentle and unsettling presence. She unsheathes a gentler, nurturing side to her role, but eventually reveals her other role as someone more sinister, with a zealot’s devotion to her cause.
Kelly Reilly as Rose Miller
Reilly, known for Sherlock Holmes and Yellowstone, plays Eli’s conflicted mother. She goes through emotional turmoil and is a blend of faith, love for her child, and the horrifying truth of what he really is.
Max Martini as Paul Miller
Martini’s more skeptical, stoic take as the other parent ramps up the family tension with Eli. He considers Eli as a danger and he is more complicit to the attempts to “fix” him, even if that means “sacrificing” the child.
Sadie Sink as Haley
Sadie Sink brought more depth to the film through the character Haley. Although she is most known for her role as Max in Stranger Things, the film adds an element of mystery and charm. Haley’s character, who starts off as a defiant and skeptical “freak,” ultimately helps Eli embrace and understand who he is.
IMDb Ratings & Critical Reception
With an average score of 5.8 out of 10, Eli’s ratings on IMDb reflect a fairly average reception from both critics and viewers. The film generated a lot of discussion and debate, particularly because of the last minute plot twist that changed the context of much of the story.
Positive Reception:
Atmosphere: The film is focused on the quiet, unsettling, and gothic visuals harnicking the medical-facility-turned-mansion, truly adding to the supernatural suspense at the heart of the story.
Performances: Both Charlie Shotwell and Sadie Sink were praised for their work and Lili Taylor received recognition for bringing nuance to a role that was at risk of feeling clichéd.
Criticism:
Misclassification of Genre: Due to the suspense and mystery that were built in the earlier plot, the last minute developer of the plot to a satanic twist made several viewers react. The film was praised for the bold and genre-defining moves it had made for decades, however, within the last moments of the film everything changed and it was a struggle to grasp.
Pacing Issues: The middle act of the film is longer than necessary due to repetitive scenes with little to no advancement of the story leading up to the climactic reveal.
Unanswered Questions: Eli’s father, as well as Eli’s destiny and the world he’s about to enter, are left unexplained, creating loose ends, and for some, a purposeful but unsatisfying decision.
Conclusion
Defining Eli is difficult as the film is a blend of multiple genres. A medical thriller Eli transitions into a demonic story intertwining ghost elements, showcasing the depth of the film. The film’s unexpected ending is what truly sets it apart—catapulting it to the unexpected genre-defying twist land.
While some may be drawn to Eli’s complex underlying critique of dark mythology, horror that challenges the barrier of expectation, and unconventional narrative, is definitely something worth watching.
Modern horror cinema is often defined by Eli’s haunting visuals, bold narrative, and chilling performances. The film touches on themes that are often left unexplored, such as the love hidden behind a parent’s protective facade, and identity, Eli is a film that will spark opinions— whether it’s deemed a flawed experiment or a masterpiece, the film is something that lingers on the mind.
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