Foe is a science fiction drama starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal. It follows Hen and Junior as their relationship is tested when Junior is recruited to join a government program in space. With themes similar to Black Mirror and Interstellar and two of the most promising young actors in the leading roles, this should be a hit right? Well…
I will just come out early and say that I did not like Foe at all. I found the plot to be both extremely confusing and incredibly dull. The story follows Junior and Hen’s relationship when Terrance (a government worker played by Aaron Pierre) tells them that Junior has been recruited to work on a project in outer space. They will make a copy essentially of Junior so Hen isn’t alone while he’s gone. This is where some of my criticisms come in.
First off, the sci-fi element of this movie is very underwhelming. Outside of some shots of spaceships and futuristic planes, there’s nothing that establishes those themes. Yes, the story is about a robot with the same human capacities for emotions, but that’s not something we experience until it is told to us in the last 30 minutes. Not all sci-fi has to be space battles and explosions but it would’ve been more interesting if they had tied in more themes.
Second, while I love both Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal, this movie did them no favors. They are both famously Irish, yet this movie had to take place in America because…? Mescal’s accent in particular leaks through very often and becomes distracting when all you can think about is how good he was in Aftersun and Normal People with his natural voice. Yet, both Ronan and Mescal carried this movie, making it more engaging than it had any right being, and that’s not just because they’re both naked quite frequently.
Both actors portray their emotions incredibly well, with Mescal giving a great monologue about snot (yes, actual boogers) and Ronan coming in with calming narration. They both dial it up to a ten at times to give gut-wrenching performances in some scenes, but the writing makes their characters seem shallow. The writers thought that giving them these deep and introspective lines would make them deep and introspective characters, but all it does is make it feel like a performance and not a natural reaction to what is happening.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Foe was really disappointing for me. I love the main leads and the premise seemed pretty cool. Yet what I watched was blander and more confusing than I could’ve imagined. The writing did the actors no favors and made the movie feel an extra hour longer. Both Ronan and Mescal will have better projects coming out soon and I can’t wait to cleanse my palette with them after this.
