Felicia's Journey (1999)

A lonely middle-aged catering manager spends all of his time studying tapes of an eccentric TV chef. Meanwhile, a young woman is making her way from Ireland to find her boy friend, who ... See full summary »

Director:

Atom Egoyan

Writers:

William Trevor (novel), Atom Egoyan (screenplay)

Stars:

Bob Hoskins, Arsinée Khanjian, Elaine Cassidy

5 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bob Hoskins	...	Joe Hilditch
Arsinée Khanjian	...	Gala
Elaine Cassidy	...	Felicia
Sheila Reid	...	Iris
Nizwar Karanj	...	Sidney
Ali Yassine	...	Customs Officer
Peter McDonald	...	Johnny Lysaght
Kriss Dosanjh	...	Salesman
Gerard McSorley	...	Felicia's Father
Marie Stafford	...	Felicia's Great Grandmother (as Maire Stafford)
Gavin Kelty	...	Shay Mulroone
Brid Brennan	...	Mrs. Lysaght
Mark Hadfield	...	Television Director
Danny Turner	...	Young Joey Hilditch
Susan Parry	...	Salome

Storyline

A lonely middle-aged catering manager spends all of his time studying tapes of an eccentric TV chef. Meanwhile, a young woman is making her way from Ireland to find her boy friend, who moved to England to get a job in a lawn-mower factory. On arrival, she makes an early contact with the caterer, who recommends a boarding room to her. Slowly, it is revealed that the caterer has in fact befriended and subsequently abused more than a dozen young women. He, of course, now sets his sights on this woman. Much of the story is told in flashbacks, revealing how each of the characters grew to the point where they now find themselves. However, the drama of the character interaction is more important to director, Atom Egoyan, than the potential horror of the situation.

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Plot Keywords:

caterer | flashback | eccentric | ireland | boy | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements and related disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Artisan BAC Films

Country:

Canada UK

Language:

English Irish French

Release Date:

24 November 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

El viaje de Felicia

Filming Locations:

Paddington Street Gardens, Marylebone, London, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$43,131 (USA) (12 November 1999)

Gross:

$819,852 (USA) (21 January 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance Atlantis Communications, Icon Entertainment International, Marquis Films Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Felicia: His mother's trying to keep him away from me.
Mr. Hilditch: Mothers can be difficult.

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Connections

References Beauty and the Beast (1946)

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Soundtracks

"The Sensual World"
Performed by Kate Bush
Licensed courtesy of EMI Records Ltd.
Composed by Kate Bush
Published by Kate Bush Music Ltd.

User Reviews

Complex, horrifying, one the thrillers of the decade.

Felicia's Journey was the closing film of this year's Galway Film Fleadh (Gaelic: Festival).Based on a story by Ireland's premiere short story writer William Trevor, Felicia's Journey is one of the most terrifying thrillers made this decade. So disturbed were some of the viewers that they refused to applaud the movie - "That was to freaky", said a local movie buff, "I didn't need to see that". The movie begins by fooling the audience. It starts as a bittersweet tale of a young Irish girl (Elaine Cassidy) who sleeps with a British Army soldier and is shunned by her family. She is exiled to Birmingham, England, where she meets Joe, a kindly old man (Bob Hoskins). So far, a pretty typical poignant Irish drama. Suddenly, some rapid editing and jolting images reveal that Joe ain't so sweet. In fact he's one of the most vicious, despicable psychopaths you'll ever seen on screen. The mood is extremely fearful for the remainder as Elaine Cassidy's perfect rendition of an innocent Irish Catholic girl screams out for help. Hoskins has played the best role of his life of a tortured, gentle, caring, sick, evil but very human man. His performance is only comparable to Peter Lorre in Fritz Lang's M. Excellent editing and and a complex, skillful score contribute to making this one of the movies of the year and a classic of the thriller genre. Don't see it unless you have the nerve.