Mister Foe (2007)
"Hallam Foe" (original title)

Hallam's talent for spying on people reveals his darkest fears-and his most peculiar desires. Driven to expose the true cause of his mother's death, he instead finds himself searching the rooftops of the city for love.

Director:

David Mackenzie

Writers:

Peter Jinks (novel), David Mackenzie (screenplay),

Stars:

Jamie Bell, Ruth Milne, John Paul Lawler

9 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jamie Bell	...	Hallam
Ruth Milne	...	Jenny (as Ruthie Milne)
John Paul Lawler	...	Carl
Claire Forlani	...	Verity
Lucy Holt	...	Lucy
Ciarán Hinds	...	Julius
Malcolm Shields	...	Kilt Man
John Comerford	...	Grumpy Glaswegian
Gerry Cleary	...	Grumpy Glaswegian
Paul Blair	...	Raincoat Man
Neil McKinven	...	Police Officer
Sophia Myles	...	Kate
Jamie Sives	...	Alasdair
Maurice Roëves	...	Raymond (as Maurice Roeves)
Stuart Hepburn	...	Police Inspector

Storyline

The seventeen year-old Hallam Foe is a weird teenager that misses his mother, who committed suicide by drowning in a lake near their house in Edinburgh after an overdose of sleeping pills. Hallam spends his spare time peeping at the locals and blames his stepmother Verity Foe, accusing her of killing his mother. After a discussion with his father Julius Foe, Hallam sneaks out from his house and travels to Edinburgh, where he sees Kate Breck and becomes obsessed with her because of her resemblance to his mother. Kate hires Hallam to work in the kitchen of the hotel where she works and they have a strange romance, while Hallam reaches his maturity in the hardest way.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | love | desire | kitchen | lake | 

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Taglines:

Some people see life differently

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Offical blog Official US site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 August 2007 (UK)

Also Known As:

Mister Foe

Filming Locations:

Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£3,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$13,490 (USA) (5 September 2008)

Gross:

$59,255 (USA) (17 October 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Scottish Screen

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although much of Hallam Foe is filmed in central Edinburgh, the film avoids showing Edinburgh Castle, which is visible from many of the real life locations.

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Goofs

Hallam works in the Balmoral Hotel at the East end of Princes Street, yet all shots of the staff entrance to the hotel are clearly the Caledonian Hotel at the West end of the Street.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jenny: [to Hallam] You're dead. You're fucking dead! I'll get my brother on to you.
Carl: [to Jenny] Jen, come back, wait!
Carl: [to Hallam] If that was a joke, it wasn't a bit fucking funny. And I'd look out for her brother, he's fucking mental.

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Soundtracks

"If You Could Read Your Mind"
Written by Clinic
Performed by Clinic
Published by Domino Publishing Co. Ltd.
Courtesy of Domino Recording Co. Ltd

User Reviews

Story of a young man's sexual confusion.

A prime example of a 'small' (or 'wee' as we say in Scotland) film. It deals exclusively with one family and their particular quirks. This film could be French - they are the masters of this particular genre. Not a lot really happens and some of what does is extremely implausible. To say the family members are dysfunctional is an understatement. Much of their behavior bears no resemblance to the lives of people I know. The strengths of 'Hallam Foe' are the performances, the soundtrack and the cinematography. Action shifts between a large country estate and the beautiful city of Edinburgh (very strangely, though, there are no shots of the world-famous Castle

• like panoramic views of the Paris skyline that omit the Eiffel

Tower!). Jamie Bell is excellent as the eponymous Hallam - he even gets to do a couple of runs and jumps that hark back to 'Billy Elliot'! Sophia Myles is convincing as a hotel manager with an inability to sustain fulfilling relationships. The central theme revolves around sexual confusion/obsession and much of the plot concerns Hallam's turbulent attitude to sex. Overall, this is an unremarkable film but not without merit.