Foe (2023), directed by Garth Davis and adapted from Iain Reid’s novel, is a psychological science fiction drama set in an eerily close to home world. Starring Saoirse Ronan alongside Paul Mescal, the film tackles themes of love, AI, isolation, and the dichotomy of human beings and machines. It is a slow burn deeply probing on reconsidering identity and connection in the face of rapidly advancing technology.
Plot Overview
Foe is set in the near future and follows Hen and Junior, a husband and wife living in a secluded farmhouse in the midwestern United States. Widespread climate change and environmental destruction have rendered Earth increasingly hostile to human life. In response, governments and private companies have started relocating people to space colonies.
Junior, played by Paul Mescal, receives a government-sponsored relocation nomination, which comes as a surprise to him. Terrance, a government agent, visits their residence and proceeds to inform them that Junior will be taking a trip off-planet shortly to aid with humanity’s new beginnings. However, during his absence, Hen (Saoirse Ronan) won’t be left alone. Instead, she will be given an ultra-modern fake of Junior who is capable of passing as the real man.
To observe the couple, Terrance, played by Aaron Pierre, moves into their home, ostensibly to facilitate a smooth transition. However, his presence gradually disturbs the fragile emotional equilibrium between Hen and Junior. The gradual unspooling of reality, trust, and identity unfolds as Hen starts to deeply scrutinize not just her husband’s actions but also her role in a society where technology hauntingly mirrors life.
Characters and Performances
Saoirse Ronan as Hen
As Hen, Ronan has a multifaceted and deeply emotional performance. Struggling to break free from a life she didn’t select, her interpretation of Hen’s character reflects the inner strife of a woman who feels invisible. Hen serves as the emotional fulcrum of the film, and Ronan’s deft nuances inspire empathy towards her fear, yearning, and bewilderment.
Paul Mescal as Junior
Mescal embodies Junior with a quiet intensity. At times stoic and withdrawn, at other moments vulnerable and even angry, he depicts a man beset by insecurity and confusion. His compelling performance grapples with fundamental concerns of agency, consciousness, and what constitutes the essence of humanity.
Aaron Pierre as Terrance
Terrance is an unpredictable character: a scientist blended with a government operative and a psychological tormentor. Calm and unsettling at the same time, both aspects are captured fully by Pierre’s portrayal. He adds a calm professionalism to the role which instantly makes his motives feel questionable, further adding to the film’s tense environment.
Themes and Symbolism
Artificial Intelligence and Identity
At its most fundamental, Foe grapples with the concept of humanity. If an artificial entity is capable of feeling, remembering, and acting like a human, why would it not be accorded the basic rights such as love and freedom? The film does not provide simple solutions, instead urging audiences to confront the reality of replacing human beings with copies.
Isolation and Disconnection
The emotional isolation experienced by Hen and Junior is as profound as their physical isolation. While they are miles away from any civilization, it is their inability to connect on an emotional level that truly distances them from one another. The presence of Terrance and the concept of a replicant husband deepens their emotional disconnect instead of bridging it.
Gender and Autonomy
From the perspective of Junior and Terrance, as well as societal structures, Hen’s character appears to be a woman constantly shaped by the choices of men. Automation, systematic control, and technology superseding her emotional needs serves her as an serving a deeply rooted patriarchal societal structure. The arc within her character displays a silent yet potent transformation stemming from awakening and claiming agency.
Cinematography and Style
Haunting and poetic describes the visual tone of Foe. The cinematography captures the dilapidating beauty of America’s heartland through expansive long shots of desolate fields and crumbling structures. The house’s character also serves the couple as claustrophobic and timeless mirrors to their psychological entrapment, thus reflecting their mental state.
sMuted greys, browns, and soft blues dominate the color palette, creating an additional melancholic tone for the film. Natural light and sparse set design heightens the characters’ emotional desolation. The sparse dimly lit interiors draw focus on the actors’ faces and bodies, rendering every gesture and glance profound.
Pacing and Direction
Like his other works, Davis Garth’s Lion is an example of a film that slowly builds towards a climax. Foe depicts a future world where emotions manifest physically, and enhances the philosophical aspects of the story. While some audiences may find the pacing too slow, especially those who are used to action scenes, or clear cut sci fi tropes, it does reward viewers who appreciate slow-burn character studies.
Davis shifts his attention away from visual spectacle towards the setting’s emotional and philosophical implications, which serves to deepen the audience’s immersion. The film’s single location serves to amplify the drama.
Reception and Impact
Mixed reviews marked the initial release of Foe. While critics praised the performances, particularly Ronan’s, they remarked on the film’s overtly heavy handed symbolism and sluggish pace. Viewers were deeply divided about its tone, with excesses of somber and vague most often cited.
Regardless of where one stood in relation to the film’s symbolism, one aspect almost universally praised was the self-reflective take on the future. Contrasted with most science fiction films, which rely on high-concept worldbuilding and visual effects, this work is unique in that it explores warm, intimate, human conflicts. Because of this, it stands out amongst other works of science fiction.
Conclusion
Foe does not follow the mold of a typical science fiction film. It is a deeply moving and contemplative reflection on love, identity, and the disquieting potential of artificial life. It captures an unsettling world where the future is governed not by technology, but rather by our deepest fears and yearnings, through careful narration and profoundly felt performances.
Foe serves as a memorable examination of the impact of development and the essence of connection in a forthcoming world filled with machines that mimic human emotions and behaviors, artfully crafted for individuals who appreciate slow, contemplative cinema that is more enigmatic than clear-cut.
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