An engrossing, provocative drama, the feature sniffs out just the right level of lurid behavior to keep the viewer in concert with the mounting domestic woes. It's a feature of unpredicted, and quite thrilling, discomfort.
Mister Foe (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:60
Fresh:43
Rotten:17
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: Carefully balanced between the dark and the dreamy, Mister Foe is a charged coming-of-age story with whimsy and bite.
Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for strong sexual content and language.
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:31-08-2007
Synopsis: MISTER FOE is director David MacKenzie's offbeat film adaptation of Peter Jinks's coming-of-age story centered on the unlikely protagonist of Hallam Foe, excellently portrayed by Jamie Bell (BILLY... MISTER FOE is director David MacKenzie's offbeat film adaptation of Peter Jinks's coming-of-age story centered on the unlikely protagonist of Hallam Foe, excellently portrayed by Jamie Bell (BILLY ELLIOT). A troubled young man beset with voyeuristic tendencies and a strong Oedipal longing for his dead mother, Hallam is a sensitive and volatile teenager who has taken to spying on his stepmother, Verity (Claire Forlani), who he suspects is responsible for his mother's death by drowning two years earlier. When a charged psychosexual confrontation with Verity stokes the fires of his unresolved grief, Hallam flees his father's country estate for the picturesque Scottish capital of Edinburgh. There, he sets his sights on Kate (Sophia Myles), an attractive hotel manager who happens to bear a striking resemblance to his late mother. Soon, through a bit of charm and more than a little stalking, Hallam scores a menial job under Kate's employ; romantically--or creepily, depending on your viewpoint--Hallam pines for Kate from a distance, observing her daily activities (kickboxing, grooming, sex), through binoculars. Hallam's adolescent fantasies soon blossom into an unlikely romance when, during an after-work function, Kate revealingly declares, "I like creepy guys." While MISTER FOE tackles some rather unsettling psychological territory, David MacKenzie infuses the film with enough light, comic touches and a playful atmosphere of magic realism to prevent it from edging toward dolorous melodrama. Rounding out this very likeable indie feature are a delightful animated title sequence by artist David Shirgley, and a spirited soundtrack from Domino Records, featuring a bevy of Scottish rockers such as Franz Ferdinand and Orange Juice. [More]
Starring: Jamie Bell, Ciaran Hinds, Sophia Myles, Jamie Sives
Starring: Jamie Bell, Ciaran Hinds, Sophia Myles, Jamie Sives, Maurice Roeves, Ewen Bremner, Claire Forlani
Director: David Mackenzie
Director: David Mackenzie
Screenwriter: David Mackenzie, Ed Whitmore
Producer: Gillian Berrie
Reviews for Mister Foe
It's a showy part, but the movie ably supports it with splendid use of Edinburgh, Scotland's cityscapes, a basket full of startling surprises in the screenplay and characters without a fleck of sentimentality.
What makes Mister Foe such unlikely fun is Bell's accomplished smart-ass routine and Mackenzie's blithe attitude toward taboos.
In his attempt to make the audience sympathize with Hallam, [director] Mackenzie uses the cheapest trick in the book: attempting to give the audience a link into his head with a manic soundtrack.
A striking film but certainly more of one that grows on you rather than one that's immediately compelling.
Mister Foe flirts too often with the unlikely and the foolish, yet there is something to admire in the nerve of its reckless characters, so uneasy in their skins.
A movie about a Scottish Peeping Tom who is sufficiently demented to give even Peeping Toms a bad name, it seems to be a lot less about fetish and voyeurism, than warped emotional espionage as pathological mommy love.
Equal parts sweet and perverse, this Scottish film is unpredictable in places where it might be twee, and subversively fanciful in others where it might be punishing.
An insightful, well-acted serio-comic look into the mind of a creepy 18-year-old Scot.
An occasion for David Mackenzie to infuse his smutty purview of modern romantic relations with twee affectation.
It's a modestly effective story, even a little moving in a weird way, and worth watching for Bell's intriguing and sympathetic performance.
Presented as a sort of romantic neo-fairy-tale, the movie rarely acknowledges the inherent creepiness of its premise.
A dark, often funny Oedipal and erotic tale from Young Adam director David Mackenzie, Mister Foe benefits from the emotionally and physically agile performance of Bell.
The Hitchcockian elements are actually much subtler than recognized, partly because the film is generally more a comedy than some Peeping Tom-esque thriller.
Hallam Foe cannot be accused of concealing its investment in the dramatic heightening of sensation, the privileging of psychic logic and hormonal pulls over safer and more quotidian forms of "realistic" storytelling.
Rarely have I seen a film end so satisfactorily and without feeling cheated by a conclusion ready made for first dates.
The acting is of the highest order, especially the tandem of Myles and Bell, who are touching and finely balanced in the detail of their characters.
Tip-top performances, led by young British thesp Jamie Bell, and a deftly handled tone reflecting all the title teen's confused emotions make Hallam Foe a viewing delight.
The adolescent peeping Tom Hallam Foe is a fascinating character, brought to thrilling life by Jamie Bell in yet another extraordinary performance.
Latest News for Mister Foe
January 08, 2009:
RT Interview: Jamie Bell talks Defiance and Dance
Jamie Bell tap-danced his way into the national consciousness with his breakthrough performance in Billy Elliot nine years ago. Since then he has worked with heavyweight screen... More...
November 02, 2008:
Baret DVD News: A movie about a Scottish Peeping Tom who is sufficiently demented to give even Peeping Toms a bad name, it seems to be a lot less about fetish and voyeurism, than warped emotional espionage as pathological mommy love. ![]()
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September 08, 2008:
Teen Peeping Tom acts upon oedipal urges in dysfunctional family drama from Scotland. ![]()
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September 03, 2008:
A movie about a Scottish Peeping Tom who is sufficiently demented to give even Peeping Toms a bad name, it seems to be a lot less about fetish and voyeurism, than warped emotional espionage as pathological mommy love. ![]()
More...
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