''Gardener of Eden'' is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Kevin Connolly. It stars

Lukas Haas Lukas Daniel Haas (born April 16, 1976) is an American actor and musician. His acting career has spanned four decades, during which he has appeared in more than 50 feature films and a number of television shows and stage productions. Early life ...

Erika Christensen Erika Jane Christensen (born August 19, 1982) is an American actress and singer whose filmography includes roles in ''Traffic'' (2000), '' Swimfan'' (2002), ''The Banger Sisters'' (2002), ''The Perfect Score'' (2004), ''Flightplan'' (2005), '' ...

and

Giovanni Ribisi Antonino Giovanni Ribisi (; born December 17, 1974) is an American actor known for his starring roles in the TV series ''Sneaky Pete'' and the films ''Avatar'' (2009), '' Lost in Translation'' (2003), '' Ted'' (2012) and its sequel '' Ted 2'' (2 ...

. The film premiered at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

, and was Connolly's directorial debut. It was produced by his friend Leonardo DiCaprio.

Plot

Adam Harris, a twenty-something college dropout, returns to his hometown, the fictional "Bickleton" in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and moves back in with his parents. Lacking real direction in his life, Adam spends his time working at a local deli and hanging out with his equally unambitious friends. Adam soon finds himself unemployed and cut off by his friends. Adam's life changes dramatically when he accidentally captures a

serial rapist A serial rapist is someone who commits multiple rapes, whether with multiple victims or a single victim repeatedly over a period of time. Some serial rapists target children. The terms ''sexual predator'', ''repeat rape'' and ''multiple offending ...

named Richard Pope who has just attacked a local girl, Mona Hukley. The new-found attention inspires him to become a vigilante.

Cast

Release

''Gardener of Eden'' premiered at the

on April 26, 2007. After the film was shown, Connolly gave a short-lived Q&A session.

Reception

In a review for ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'', Frank Scheck praised the film's "resolute strangeness and darkness" and Haas's "memorably quirky performance", but suggested that it "lacks the necessary dramatic urgency or black humor to connect with audiences".

References

External links

* * * 2007 films 2000s English-language films American independent films American superhero films 2007 comedy-drama films Films set in New Jersey Films shot in New Jersey Superhero comedy-drama films Films directed by Kevin Connolly American comedy-drama films Films produced by Leonardo DiCaprio Appian Way Productions films Films scored by Paul Haslinger 2007 directorial debut films 2007 independent films 2000s American films {{2000s-comedy-drama-film-stub