UNDISCOVERED TREASURES // A FILM REVIEW OF "MISTER FOE"
I was perusing my instant queue this week and kept coming across the film MISTER FOE. Based on my likes and ratings, Netflix insisted I should watch it. Who am I to argue with an algorithm? Talk about an Oedipal Complex! Based on the novel by Peter Jinks, the film follows a very lost 17 year old, Hallam Foe played beautifully by Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot). Hallam’s mother committed suicide by taking a handful of sleeping pills and walking into the lake on their large estate in Edinburgh. Not knowing how to digest his grief, Hallam spies on everyone in his circle; neighbors, kids from school, and his new stepmother, Verity (Claire Forlani). He is convinced that Verity murdered his mother and when he confronts her, she has sex with him… in his tree house… underneath a giant picture of his mother. Strange, yes, but this movie has a way of capturing the essence of grief. Losing a person makes you do crazy and unusual things.
Not only does Hallam keep a giant picture of his mother, he also has one of her dress and a lipstick of hers, that he will wear when his emotions truly have their hold on him. Forlani makes you feel uncomfortable. Her portrayal feels slimy, almost cartoonish, yet it works. When Hallam confronts his father about his theory and is dismissed, he runs away with nothing but his backpack filled with Mommy oddities. He gets himself a job in the kitchen of a downtown hotel for the sole reason to keeping tabs on a woman named Kate (Sophia Myles) who looks exactly like his dead mother. Not only is Hallam living in the clocktower of the hotel, it looks directly into the bedroom of Kate’s apartment. Kate and Hallam begin a wonderfully honest relationship despite a very clear age gap. Myles is loveable and plays well to Kate’s flaws. As we meet Kate, she is sleeping with their married co-worker and dirtbag, Alasdar (Jamie Sives). Bell is incredible portraying a hurt kid whose misplaced anger manifests itself in the strangest ways. He spies on Kate and Alasdar having sex by climbing on the roof of her building. After he is found out, even after Hallam tells Kate about how their relationship ultimately started, she lets it go. She even goes so far as to dress in Hallam’s mother’s dress. Once Kate and Hallam part ways, Hallam is still left with the fact that he thinks Verity killed his mother. He returns home in a rage only to attempt to drown her in the lake. Realizing what he is doing, he pulls her out. When his father arrives he finally explains that it was not the first time his mother had tried to kill herself, but that he didn’t stop her (further playing into the real life statistic that widowed men often remarry shortly after the death of their wife). Jamie Bell makes Hallam the most endearingly messed up kid you’d want to come across. Despite his weirdness and clear emotional issues, Bell is captivating. Now, I am eager to read the novel to see how they compare. Either way, I will watch this film again, if only to feel like it’s okay to go a little crazy sometimes.
LIZ'S GRADE: A+
Directed by David Mackenzie Written by Peter Jenks, David Mackenzie, and Ed Whitmore Starring Jamie Bell, Claire Forlani, and Sophia Myles Rated R for strong sexual content and language NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD AND NETFLIX
BOTTOM LINE: This quirky film delves into how we deal with death. There is no wrong or right way to grieve. Mister Foe will take you on an emotional journey you are sure to connect with in one way or another.