Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Mister Foe (9/10) Revisited

Love is a mystery and so is Hallam Foe. We don't know why love makes us act the way we do, people just react. Some people will buy fields of flowers, some shell out month's off payments on expensive jewelry, other's react coldly. Hallam Foe (Jaime Bell in a delightful performance) results to several things, one is stalking. The film follows Hallam Foe after fleeing from a disastrous home situation. He sees Kate walking in Edinburgh(Sophia Myles) and begins to follow her. However stalking is such a hateful word for someone of Foe's sincerity. In "Closer" Jude Law penned the term "lovingly observing", is that just a nicer way of saying it? I'm not sure, I just know Foe is more curious than anything else. He follows this women (including a getting a job at the hotel she works at) because... she reminds her of his mother. That's strange but it's something interesting too. Foe's mother dies when he is pretty young (the nature is for you to find out) and his love for her is still strong. He doesn't know where to put his love for a mothering nature. So he sees a women who looks kind of like her and figures... why not? (trust me, it's not some weird fantasy he has for his mother, never comes across like that) However Foe is such a likable character that it does not matter what he is doing, his intentions are harmless. He is shy when talking to her, but always wants her around. His joy over contact with her brings a warm smile to both his and the audience's face(s).

David Mackenzie the director, has an eye for strange love. His movies are never conventional, but always fascinating. His movies let the viewer build a strong feeling for it's central characters. Is "Young Adam just about a crazy pervert and possible rapist (well that ones more true) or telling the story of what lust and sex does to a person? Is "Spread" telling a story about a shallow womanizer or a young and foolish idealist who's waiting to be beat at his own game? So is Mister Foe about a stalker or about the confusion of love? A bit of both (but the second makes this movie charming). Mister Foe is a movie to love because it so kind. It's something to brighten your day.

9/10
Recommendation: Give it a shot, it's interesting and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

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