Garth Davis’s Foe has an interesting permeance. It is the story of a couple in the near distant future having to adjust their lives dramatically when one of them is given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This type of movie allows the people involved to examine the psychology of a marriage. The film could showcase how a life-changing event could shatter the couple’s bond or bring them close together.
It would also allow some great performances from the acting that would make the movie relatable to audiences. However, Foe has little to nothing to do with those and is essentially a waste of time watching.
Foe, directed by Davis, is based on the same novel by Canadian writer Iain Reid. The story follows Junior (Paul Mescal) and Hen (Saoirse Ronan) as a couple trying to survive in a world where things look bleak for humanity. The couple is given the news from Terrance (Aaron Pierre) that Junior has been randomly selected to travel to a luxurious artificial world, leaving Hen behind. The shock of this revelation challenges the marriage, and the couple tries to find a way to make it through.
That plot should welcome many intriguing thoughts on what a marriage is, how it affects it, and how it works for the most part. The storyline explores the married couple and how they adjust their lives for the day when Junior leaves. From the beginning of Foe, the relationship is strained with examples of Junior’s abusive nature. The movie shows the behavior of a shift towards a hopeful outlook by the middle of the 1st Act.
I felt a connection between the couple and their struggles in finding the spark in the relationship that had been lost over time. It’s legit acting at the start of Foe from Mescal and Rono. Consequently, it works well with Reid’s writing – who is the scriptwriter for the film – that shares light similarities to Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage. However, this is when the positives of the Foe end.
There are several moments in the 2nd and 3rd Act where the movie falls flat. Foe has these scenes where the relationship between Hen and Junior begins to take a route that helps move the plot forward. Yet, it’s interrupted when Terrance gets involved, or his action overtakes the scene’s subtext. For example, Terrance puts Junior through a series of experiments to psycho-analyze his marriage.
What comes out is the two talking about what just happened, but never adds anything more to the plot. It’s a repeated waste of time that constantly causes the movie to stumble.
Ronan, Mescal, and Pierre are rising stars in the acting world. The three’s fame has gradually grown in the dramatic indie world with some progress in major studio movies. With suitable materials, they flourish. Regarding Foe, Ronan and Mescal make their performance overly dramatic and Pierre’s flat.
Ronan has two and a half modes that feature crying, happy, and lacking emotions – there’s no nuance between them. Mescal’s performance desperately tries to be a dickhead. One scene that comes to mind is when Junior snaps and begins punching a wall. It’s almost laughable because Junior’s anger goes from 1 to 11, making them look like a baby having a tantrum. Pierre tries his best to be the voice of reason, which would work if he could stay impartial.
Even so, his involvement with the couple goes back and forth perplexingly. One minute, he’s cozying up with the couple; the next, he’s back to observing them. Foe doesn’t go beyond a superficial level; it just gave me a headache.
Another part of Foe that doesn’t help the movie is the direction from Davis. There are several occasions when the director’s scene direction is just plain wrong. Many of those moments are when the scene goes too long and desperately needs to end or is not edited well enough. It causes the pacing to become noticeably uneven.
The incompetent nature of scene direction continues when the movie features a plot twist that comes out of nowhere and is not earned. The mildly shocking twist occurs and is supposed to introduce a different perspective to the film. Instead, it’s undeserved and lands like a wet fart.
Foe had possibilities but squandered it away. I was all in for the movie when the trailer was released, but the altitude of my disappointment only grew. Most of the movie is a headache because of the bad writing, acting, directing, and unnecessary need to continue the film where it should’ve ended – multiple times. The examination of a relationship that’s tested to its limits is timeless. Without a doubt, Foe makes it a waste of time.