Naked Desires and Deadly Secrets: The Real Story Behind 'Eden'

ISLAND OF MADNESS: The Shocking True Story Behind Ron Howard's New Movie "Eden"

In a tale that's equal parts Lord of the Flies, The Great Gatsby, and a dash of Midsommar, the 1930s Galapagos Islands were home to a group of eccentric Europeans who would stop at nothing to create their own utopia. And by "stop at nothing," we mean literally kill each other.

Ron Howard's latest blockbuster, Eden, has all the makings of a classic Hollywood movie: A-list stars, stunning desert island scenery, and more than a few murderous plot twists. But what sets this film apart is its roots in real-life events that are almost too bizarre to be believed.

The story begins with Friedrich Ritter (played by Jude Law), a charismatic doctor with a passion for Nietzsche's philosophy of self-overcoming. In 1929, he and his lover, Dore Strauch (Vanessa Kirby), left Berlin just before the Wall Street Crash to sail to South America in search of their own private paradise.

Their destination was the uninhabited island of Floreana, where they hoped to build a life free from the conventions of modern society. And by "conventions," we mean clothes. Friedrich and Dore were both nudists, and they spent much of their time on the island lounging in the sun, completely au naturel.

But as the story goes, this little slice of heaven soon turned into a hellish nightmare. The couple's arrival sparked a chain reaction of events that would ultimately lead to the downfall of not one, not two, but four of the island's residents.

The first to arrive on the scene were Heinz and Margret Wittmer (Daniel Bruhl and Sydney Sweeney), a German couple who had been invited by Friedrich and Dore. But as it turned out, the Wittmers' arrival was not exactly welcomed with open arms.

Friedrich and Dore saw themselves as intellectuals, living in harmony with nature and following their own rules. The Wittmers, on the other hand, were more concerned with building a stable home for their family. And by "stable," we mean they actually had a roof over their heads and didn't live in a makeshift shack.

As the tensions between the two couples simmered, a new arrival shook things up: Baroness Eloise Wehrborn de Wagner-Bosquet (Ana de Armas), a bohemian adventuress with a reputation for being irresistible to men. And by "irresistible," we mean she was known for sleeping with just about anyone who crossed her path.

The Baroness and her two lovers, Robert Phillipson and Rudolph Lorenz, brought chaos and destruction to the island. They stole food from their neighbors, wrote vicious letters to the press, and even claimed to be running a hotel (though in reality, it was just a shack).

But things took a dark turn when the Baroness and her partner-in-crime Phillipson went missing. Their disappearance sparked rumors of murder, and the remaining islanders were left to pick up the pieces.

As the investigation unfolded, it became clear that the island's residents had been living in a state of madness. Friedrich Ritter died under suspicious circumstances (some said Dore poisoned him), Margret Wittmer claimed to have seen Friedrich beating her friend Dore just before his death, and Lorenz was found dead with his two lovers.

It's like something out of a horror movie: a group of eccentric Europeans living on a desert island, killing each other off one by one. And yet, this is a true story - at least, it's based on real events that took place in the 1930s.

In the end, only Dore Strauch survived to tell the tale. She returned to Europe and wrote a memoir about her experiences on Floreana, which has been re-published under the title "Eden Undone: A True Story of Sex, Murder, and Utopia at the Dawn of World War II."

Ron Howard's film Eden is set for theatrical release in the US on Friday, August 22, through Vertical Entertainment. Based on this article, it's clear that this movie is going to be a wild ride - but will it capture the essence of the true story behind it? Only time will tell.

Eden Undone: A True Story of Sex, Murder, and Utopia at the Dawn of World War II, by Abbott Kahler (Crown, $19), is available in paperback now. For more information on this shocking true story, visit thescholarlynote.com.