The Absence of Eden

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2:21

The Absence of Eden

R

2024

1h 25m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

39%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

The Absence of Eden takes place at the border between the United States and Mexico -- a hellish landscape inhabited by coyotes, armed officers, desperate immigrants, and refugees. When Esmee (Zoe Saldaña), a young woman working as a private dancer in Mexico, is forced to commit a violent act of self-defense that results in the death of a cartel member, she flees her homeland for sanctuary in the United States. Guided by a ruthless Coyote and a group of undocumented immigrants, she befriends a young mother and her daughter along the way. Before crossing the border, the mother is taken from the group, and Esmee promises to protect her daughter and help them reunite again in America, touching off an interlocking story about people struggling to survive on America's border with Mexico.

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Feb 5, 2025

3/5

All the lead actors are pretty good and well-enough directed by Perego. But there’s a grim, hopeless flatness about the script’s tragedy-flecked momentum, timely enough these days but not exactly moving the conversation along.

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Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

Apr 19, 2024

3/5

The wonderful Zoe Saldaña plays Esmee, a Mexican migrant desperately trying to escape the tentacles of human and drug trafficking on both sides of the border.

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Carlos Aguilar

Variety

Apr 12, 2024

A strong calling card for Perego.

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Terry Staunton

Radio Times

May 7, 2026

3/5

First-time director and co-writer Marco Perego—Saldaña's real-life husband—pivots back and forth between political thriller and morality tale without ever settling on a tone to give the narrative much-needed clarity.

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Clotilde Chinnici

Loud and Clear Reviews

Sep 14, 2024

3.5/5

Overall, The Absence of Eden is undoubtedly a much-needed film in today’s political scenario. This is especially true given the upcoming elections in the United States, which seem to always spark discussions around immigration and border policies.

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

May 4, 2024

The Absence of Eden has an absence of a cohesive plot. This clumsy drama portrays multiple sides of undocumented immigration and law enforcement in the U.S., but the story falls apart in the last dreadful 30 minutes.

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Boomer B

@BoomertheOriginal Nov 2, 2025

Good actors trying to save a bad script. Long, slow and predictable. Too much dwelling on actors not saying or doing anything stretched the movie out but added nothing to the story.

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Vince Q.

@Vincedeq Oct 30, 2025

Zoë Saldana stars in this drama about the realities of immigration, both foreign and domestic and the tragedies levied on migrants, by both ICE and the coyotes that prey upon their need. Feels like a distant cousin to the iconic Oscar-winning Traffic by comparison, just without the stunningly genuine performances.

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Justin T

@RT18783652 Feb 10, 2025

Some compelling clips with no story and a terrible ending. I think they had some deeper meaning they were trying to portray, but the whole thing just led to nothing.

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B C

@That_Brett Jan 23, 2025

It won’t let me give zero stars. I see what this movie is attempting stylistically but it does not achieve it. Thus zero stars. Z.S. Is great per the usual, but that can’t save it. (You’re not Terrence Malick)

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Michael M

@RT52555890 Dec 15, 2024

This is a terrible movie. Super slow with zero resolutions, to the characters. Sitting through this was painful and I should’ve just hit myself in the foot with a hammer instead.

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james i

@jamesirwingofobo Apr 18, 2024

It was good but I felt like it would work better as a tv show there was no resolutions to the 2 main stories. I was left with to many questions and wanting to know the fate of the main characters.

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Synopsis

The Absence of Eden takes place at the border between the United States and Mexico -- a hellish landscape inhabited by coyotes, armed officers, desperate immigrants, and refugees. When Esmee (Zoe Saldaña), a young woman working as a private dancer in Mexico, is forced to commit a violent act of self-defense that results in the death of a cartel member, she flees her homeland for sanctuary in the United States. Guided by a ruthless Coyote and a group of undocumented immigrants, she befriends a young mother and her daughter along the way. Before crossing the border, the mother is taken from the group, and Esmee promises to protect her daughter and help them reunite again in America, touching off an interlocking story about people struggling to survive on America's border with Mexico.

Director: Marco Perego
Producer: Karl Herrmann, Robert Kravis, Alexandra Milchan, Marco Perego, Zoe Saldaña, Julie Yorn, Rick Yorn
Screenwriter: Marco Perego, Rick Rapoza
Distributor: Vertical
Production Co: Ashland Hill Media Finance, Pioneer Pictures, Ingenious Media, Cinestar Pictures
Rating: R (Violent Content|Some Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 12, 2024, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $37.0K
Runtime: 1h 25m

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