BFI LFF 2023 | Movie Review: "Foe" Wastes On-Screen Talent, But Salvages The Film In The End
7/12 ForReel Score | 3/5 Stars
On paper, Foe should be somewhat of a masterpiece: psychological sci-fi drama starring two of the most sought after actors of their generation in Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal, with a script that tackles both the climate crisis and the trials and tribulations of a human relationship. But a masterpiece, Foe regrettably is not. Although I wouldn’t call it out-and-out bad - and is in fact rather good in places - it's not quite as brilliant as its individual parts promise it should be.
Image courtesy of Amazon Studios
There's some incredibly clunky dialogue, completely unnaturalistic and forced - the conversations between its central pair feeling wildly unlike a discussion any actual couple might have. And with clunky dialogue comes clunky acting. For two of our best young performers, Foe won't go down as either of their shining moments, and their questionable acting choices verge on distracting at points. But their chemistry is good enough, and aside from the unrealistic dialogue, they're believable as a long-suffering couple.
The story starts strong, but quickly meanders aimlessly and uninterestingly in the second act for what feels like hours. The film's saving grace, the primary element which brings Foe out of the trenches, is its ending. It explains the meandering of the second act - it wasn't aimless after all - and ties everything together with a fantastic twist. The twist itself isn't entirely unpredictable, but the manner of its delivery is. Little more can be said on the matter without entering spoiler territory, but know this: a film's ending can absolutely make or break the entire impression one has of a movie, and in Foe's case, it makes it.
Image courtesy of Amazon Studios
The world-building is solid, and the sweeping shots of the desolate and barren Mid-West are cinematographically stunning which alongside the film's unsettling and moody score prove to be two of the film's strongest elements. And whilst the script isn't entirely successful when it comes to the minutiae of its scenes, the broader strokes that it tries to convey are largely more compelling. It asks timely and relevant questions about climate change and the state of humanity once our planet becomes inhospitable, and stirs the increasingly more pressing debate of the introduction of AI into our lives. It's Ex-Machina meets Interstellar processed through a Black Mirror filter and delivered to audiences mere weeks after the release of this season’s other high profile AI film, The Creator.
Foe is not a complete failure. And in fact, the twists and turns of its finale almost demand a rewatch to reassess the film's developments in light of the ending's revelations - a truly bad film would inspire no such feeling. It's a solid mood piece, not quite as good as the films it takes inspiration from, but a not-entirely-wasted use of one's time. And perhaps in 2065, the year of the film's action, we'll find that the sinister picture it paints about our future might just hit closer to home than we might have liked.