Mister Foe - 2007

Movie #126

3 stars

In a darkly twisted plot, teenage voyeur Hallam Foe (Jamie Bell) spies on his stepmother, Verity (Claire Forlani), through binoculars, finding himself irresistibly attracted to her even as he becomes convinced she murdered his mother. When Hallam flees to the city and meets a woman (Sophia Myles) who resembles his mother, his binocular-spying obsessions begin anew. But when Verity and his father track him down, will the truth surface?

Cast: Jamie Bell, Sophia Myles, Ciarán Hinds, Claire Forlani, Paul Blair, Ewen Bremner, Gerry Cleary, John Comerford, Stuart Hepburn, Jamie Sives, Maurice Roëves, Ruth Milne, John Paul Lawler, Kirsty Shepheard

Director: David Mackenzie


Tagline: Some people see life differently

Filming Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Note: Although much of Hallam Foe is filmed in central Edinburgh, the film avoids showing Edinburgh Castle, which is visible from many of the real life locations. I did notice this

Likes: The writer was not afraid to make the characters F-ed up! I mean c'mon...Jamie Bell spies on people, is obsessed with boobs, he sleeps in his tree fort under a blown up picture of his dead mom, he wears war paint, sometimes wears his mothers dress, and pierced his ear with his mother's earring. CRAZZZY.

I guess the story was interesting and creepy at times but somewhat enjoyable. I really liked the scenes of Edinburgh...I think that if it was filmed in the US I would have given it a 2.5.

Dislikes: The music...it was sooo loud and it interrupted the storyline. The funny thing is...the soundtrack it thought to be good.

From Wikipedia: Domino Records provided the entire soundtrack with bands including Franz Ferdinand with their song Hallam Foe Dandelion Blow along with songs from James Yorkston, u.n.p.o.c., King Creosote, Sons and Daughters, Four Tet, Psapp, Juana Molina and Test Icicles, amongst others. The soundtrack has won several awards, and is integral to the film.

whaaa?

Another dislike is the fact that some parts were supposed to be dramatic...and well...they were comedic. Like the parts where Jamie Bell puts that crazy skunk head on (see below).

Overall Recommendation: You can watch this one as background entertainment