Years on from his success in Billy Elliott, it's great to see Jamie Bell being given a vehicle to show that he has the genuine talent to carry a film. Hallam Foe is a fine British production; quirky, disturbing, funny, interesting, thought-provoking and consistently well-shot and soundtracked. At the same time, it's a little gimmicky, heavily-influenced (Trainspotting, Rear Window et al), and frankly far-fetched in its depiction of the unlikely love between Hallam and the object of his affection in Edinburgh (Sophie Myles). But where the disbelief needs suspending,Jamie Bell's performance saves the day, on the emotional side through bringing tremendous depth to his character, and on the physical side by making his rooftop athleticism completely believable. For all its faults, this is a admirable and brave piece of work, well worth-watching if you're after something dark and provocative that will also make you laugh (the badger suit?).
53 Reviews
Oedipus Complex, Obsession and Voyeurism
claudio_carvalho23 February 2008
The seventeen year-old Hallam Foe (Jamie Bell) is a weird teenager that misses his mother that committed suicide, drowning in a lake nearby their house in Edinburgh after an overdose of sleeping pills. Hallam spends his spare time peeping the locals and blames his stepmother Verity Foe (Claire Forlani), accusing her of killing his mother. After a discussion with his father Julius Foe (Ciarán Hinds), Hallam sneaks out from his house and travels to London, where he sees Kate Breck (Sophia Myles) and becomes obsessed for her because of her resemblance with 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 through the hardest way.
"Hallam Foe" is a surprisingly great and stylish little movie with an original and erotic romance with Oedipus complex, obsession and voyeurism. The enjoyable story is funny, sexy and dramatic and the characters are well developed with great performances and chemistry of Jamie Bell and Sophia Myles. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): Not Available
"Hallam Foe" is a surprisingly great and stylish little movie with an original and erotic romance with Oedipus complex, obsession and voyeurism. The enjoyable story is funny, sexy and dramatic and the characters are well developed with great performances and chemistry of Jamie Bell and Sophia Myles. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): Not Available
Character Study of Caricatures
StarsDown28 December 2008
Mister Foe is another "indie coming of age dramedy" with a hip indie soundtrack about a charismatic teen with psychological problems. Hallam is a film about a boy who misses his dead mother and ends up striking up a relationship with a women who looks like her. Normally films handle the Oedipus complex a little tactfully but Mister Foe goes right for it and pulls no punches. Even after they set it up they go to the well once too often. Each character has a broadly drawn idea of their personality but we never get a sense of who they are. The fact that both of them have such emotional baggage is what is supposed to make it interesting, but they have that baggage because the film says they do. The baggage exists to create the characters and not that characters exist because of the baggage. At the end the character development seems to serve the plot more the the characters themselves. The best parts of this film is the voyeurism angle and even that seems to get lost in the shuffle and even downplayed to other aspects like a weak and unnecessary family drama in addition to a murder mystery that it seems even David Mackenzie tries to downplay and holds off as long as he can. Jamie Bell does give a great performance as Hallam playing a somber yet energetic teenager even if he doesn't have much to work with. David Mackenzie also does a great job of framing the film with some beautiful backdrops and backgrounds. It seems his weakest aspect is filming characters as his character moments are flat and uninteresting with the backgrounds being what gives it flare. Mister Foe is a character study of caricatures. It is fun and odd but at the same time shallow.
Heartfelt drama with a terrific angry young man
EnvyYouProductions31 July 2007
Since Hallam's (Jamie Bell) mother died two years ago, he has detached himself from life, watching (even spying) the people from a distance, going as far as breaking in and searching their closets. He despises his stepmother (a surprisingly matured Claire Forlani) who he suspects of having murdered his mom. So Hallam takes off from the Scottish countryside to Glasgow, where he prowls the roofs, and finds a girl eerily resembling his mother. Revealing more of the story wouldn't do it justice. Jamie Bell masterfully plays an angry young man, reminiscing of Holden Caulfield. The film creates magical sequences, sports a wry northern humour, and doesn't shy away from exploring the feeling of loss and pain. Although the plot background relies too much on textbook psychology, HALLAM FOE remains a kindhearted, lively drama beyond the streamline tearjerkers. 7/10
A voyage of voyeurism.
come2whereimfrom9 September 2007
Jamie bell has certainly come a long way from that little dancing boy 'Billy Elliot', although he never seems to get any older, and here he takes another challenging role as Hallam Foe. Hallam is introduced to us as he skylines onto a couple having sex near his tree house, not only is he semi-clad and wearing make-up he is sporting a rather bizarre piece of headgear made out of a badger. It is at this point we the audience can assume that Hallam is not only a bit mad but a bit creepy, which apparently stems from his mothers suicide. From here on in the story sees him leave behind his tree house sanctuary, not by choice, and fly the nest to Edinburgh, he is homeless, jobless and believes his step mother killed his real mother. Armed with his trusty binoculars he scrambles around the roof tops spying on the residents of the city and we learn that he distanced himself from people when he lost his mother and it just turned into a kind of habit, a modern day peeping tom. As opposed to the obsession he had with everyone before he left home, he becomes focused on Kate, a human resources officer for a large hotel, mainly due to the fact that she reminds him of his mother. After conning his way into a job at the hotel he embarks on a relationship with Kate but his spiralling madness, dark secret and Kate's regular sex partner threaten everything and push Hallam further down the spiral. Directed by David Mackenzie it really does have a sense of love for the city and its people, but its Bell and Sophia Myles (Kate), whose strange relationship forms the centre of the film, that carry the plot along. With music from the likes of Orange Juice to Sons and Daughters and an exclusive Franz Ferdinand track the pace is upbeat and the David Shrigley Cartoon titles should be an inclination to the type of quirky film this is. Bold, funny and a little disturbing Hallam Foe is an enjoyable romp through the weird and wonderful world of the human mind and emotions and how certain things can affect our everything.
Diet Hitchcock, Diet Lynch
fablesofthereconstru-13 December 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The boy has issues. Hallam Foe(Jamie Bell) hates his new stepmom, but it doesn't stop him from doing her, in a tree-house, no less. The young lad hates Verity(Claire Forlani) because he suspects her of killing his mother. That's why the sex is so shocking, and more disturbingly, erotic, because sex with the mother surrogate might be some fulfillment of a deep-rooted craving for his real mom. Initially, the tree-house episode starts off as a half-hearted murder attempt. Hallam grabs her neck; the stepmother retaliates by grabbing his c***, then baser instincts take over. As they rut like pigs on the floorboards, there's the added luridness of the dead mother's likeness overlooking their unwholesome coupling. Hallam hangs a poster-sized image of his mother, in which she looks more like a woman instead of a parent. Shot in black and white, the mother could be modeling a fragrance. For the Oedipus complex to be fully realized as a central theme in "Hallum Foe", however, the boy needs to make an overture towards killing his father. The fact that Hallum has no such murderous intentions with Julius Foe(Cirian Hinds), speaks to the filmmaker's timidity with the matter of his son's psycho-sexual problems. "Hallum Foe" is kinky, but not too kinky, and ultimately, not too honest about the delicate subject that is incest.
Hallam Foe needs a new scene, so he leaves the Scottish countryside and moves to Edinburgh, leaving behind his mother issues. Hallam Foe needs a girl. Alas, the first girl that catches the young man's eye just happens to be his mother's doppleganger; he follows Kate(Sophia Myles) to the hotel where she works as a human resources specialist. She hires Hallam as a kitchen porter. He's smitten. She's smitten, too. Soon, the lad is up to his old voyeuristic ways, spying on her from behind a clock face in the hotel's attic, which offers up a perfect view of her apartment. At times, "Hallam Foe" suggests what "Back to the Future" would look like if Alfred Hitchcock directed it. In the Robert Zemeckis film, the Michael J. Fox character goes back in time and meets his mother(Lea Thompson) as a contemporary, as a pre-maternal woman. They're simply Marty and Lorraine. In a parked car, Marty watches in awe as his mother drinks and smokes. He could have her. In "Hallum Foe", the boy looks out of a crack in the clock's face, which could be suggested as a rift in time that allows Hallum to have what Marty had, a chance to know his mother as a nubile. After Hallum watches Kate have sex with her boss, in the very next scene, he's perusing one of his mother's old birthday greetings. Since Hallum eventually beds Kate, the sight of the mother's double having rough sex with another man would seem to indicate that his covert witnessing triggered a feeling of longing that's both romantic, and parental.
In the film's most pivotal scene, "Hallam Foe" evokes Hitchcock's "Vertigo" when Kate wears the dress of Hallam's dead mother. The boy bursts into tears, then cuts away to the two lovers lying in bed. To a certain extent, the filmmaker shrinks back from dealing directly with Hallum's psychosis. The most basic question goes unanswered: Does Hallum accept Kate as a separate entity from his mother? The film is too coy, although the film hints that he's knowingly having relations with his mother, through the use of a key close-up that isolates Kate's eye, an echo of an earlier scene back at the tree-house, in which Hallum tears down his mother's vandalized blow-up, leaving behind a single eye. A brave filmmaker, such as David Lynch, for starters, would crank up the erotic heat once Kate brings Hallum's mother back to life by wearing that dress. If "Vertigo" was made today, and not 1958, Scottie Ferguson(Jimmy Stewart) would nail Judy Barton(Kim Novak) in an instant after raising Madeleine from the dead. Since the film's treatment of their workplace romancing is rendered as cute and healthy, the filmmaker misses a golden opportunity to challenge his objective attitude towards their almost-incestuous relationship by making it unequivocally clear that Kate is Hallum's second chance to indulge in his sexual psychosis, which went unconsummated when the boy's mother drowned. The film's climax, albeit exciting, is all wrong. He goes after the wrong person. By going after the stepmother instead of the father, "Hallum Foe" never fully commits to the idea that the boy thinks Kate is his dead mother. Hallum has a complex all right; it's just not the Oedipus one.
The filmmaker pulls too many punches; he tries to make a crowd-pleaser out of some very dark material.
Hallam Foe needs a new scene, so he leaves the Scottish countryside and moves to Edinburgh, leaving behind his mother issues. Hallam Foe needs a girl. Alas, the first girl that catches the young man's eye just happens to be his mother's doppleganger; he follows Kate(Sophia Myles) to the hotel where she works as a human resources specialist. She hires Hallam as a kitchen porter. He's smitten. She's smitten, too. Soon, the lad is up to his old voyeuristic ways, spying on her from behind a clock face in the hotel's attic, which offers up a perfect view of her apartment. At times, "Hallam Foe" suggests what "Back to the Future" would look like if Alfred Hitchcock directed it. In the Robert Zemeckis film, the Michael J. Fox character goes back in time and meets his mother(Lea Thompson) as a contemporary, as a pre-maternal woman. They're simply Marty and Lorraine. In a parked car, Marty watches in awe as his mother drinks and smokes. He could have her. In "Hallum Foe", the boy looks out of a crack in the clock's face, which could be suggested as a rift in time that allows Hallum to have what Marty had, a chance to know his mother as a nubile. After Hallum watches Kate have sex with her boss, in the very next scene, he's perusing one of his mother's old birthday greetings. Since Hallum eventually beds Kate, the sight of the mother's double having rough sex with another man would seem to indicate that his covert witnessing triggered a feeling of longing that's both romantic, and parental.
In the film's most pivotal scene, "Hallam Foe" evokes Hitchcock's "Vertigo" when Kate wears the dress of Hallam's dead mother. The boy bursts into tears, then cuts away to the two lovers lying in bed. To a certain extent, the filmmaker shrinks back from dealing directly with Hallum's psychosis. The most basic question goes unanswered: Does Hallum accept Kate as a separate entity from his mother? The film is too coy, although the film hints that he's knowingly having relations with his mother, through the use of a key close-up that isolates Kate's eye, an echo of an earlier scene back at the tree-house, in which Hallum tears down his mother's vandalized blow-up, leaving behind a single eye. A brave filmmaker, such as David Lynch, for starters, would crank up the erotic heat once Kate brings Hallum's mother back to life by wearing that dress. If "Vertigo" was made today, and not 1958, Scottie Ferguson(Jimmy Stewart) would nail Judy Barton(Kim Novak) in an instant after raising Madeleine from the dead. Since the film's treatment of their workplace romancing is rendered as cute and healthy, the filmmaker misses a golden opportunity to challenge his objective attitude towards their almost-incestuous relationship by making it unequivocally clear that Kate is Hallum's second chance to indulge in his sexual psychosis, which went unconsummated when the boy's mother drowned. The film's climax, albeit exciting, is all wrong. He goes after the wrong person. By going after the stepmother instead of the father, "Hallum Foe" never fully commits to the idea that the boy thinks Kate is his dead mother. Hallum has a complex all right; it's just not the Oedipus one.
The filmmaker pulls too many punches; he tries to make a crowd-pleaser out of some very dark material.
Funny, affecting, stimulating, sexy, stylish and not a little alarming
christopher-underwood29 August 2007
Excellent and spot on movie. Not only is this so well directed and acted, it has a difficult story to tell and convinces us 100% time. It is certainly in part the performance of Jamie Bell that helps us take this story of a peeping tom hero on board so effortlessly, but because everything else also buzzes so authentically, we can only conclude that , for once, we have a superb script. I didn't notice one word of dialogue that jarred and this when we have such taboo items up for discussion and for the doing of! Bell as mentioned is excellent but so are all the cast and because I do mean all we have to conclude that Mr Mackenzie has a rare actor directing skill. Sophia Myles is also well worthy of mention, and seems capable of disarming changes that always seem likely to catch one off guard. Funny, affecting, stimulating, sexy, stylish and not a little alarming. Do not miss this movie.
A Self-Conscious British Film that Strives Hard to be a Departure, but Spoils its Initial Promise
Afzal-s200718 September 2007
Hallam Foe is so self-consciously a left field British Indie, at times it seems close to self-parody. The result is a film that strives hard to be a departure, but spoils its early promise.
The film is about an adolescent, Hallam Foe, in a Scots upper middle-class dysfunctional family (wife recently dead, the husband having replaced her with his young English lover) on a remote Scottish estate. The early scenes are full of an atmosphere of unknown menace and lurid danger, reminiscent of Ian MacEwan's early stories.
Hallam Foe is a very unusual, oedipal adolescent, one of many young screen protagonists that seem to be the spawn of the original fictional teenage weirdo, Holden Caulfield. After a lurid altercation with his father's distinctly dodgy lover, Hallam jumps ship and goes to the big city, where he quickly becomes obsessed with a female stranger who resembles his mother, and struggles with the loss of innocence and tensions of adolescence. But after developing a relationship with the stranger, the film becomes slack and loses interest as the plot becomes tenuous and spins off into improbability.
Still, on the plus side, Hallam Foe is not bad and even quite funny, and has a real sense of place. The cast is good, particularly Jamie Bell and Sophia Myles, both of whom give demanding performances.
The film is about an adolescent, Hallam Foe, in a Scots upper middle-class dysfunctional family (wife recently dead, the husband having replaced her with his young English lover) on a remote Scottish estate. The early scenes are full of an atmosphere of unknown menace and lurid danger, reminiscent of Ian MacEwan's early stories.
Hallam Foe is a very unusual, oedipal adolescent, one of many young screen protagonists that seem to be the spawn of the original fictional teenage weirdo, Holden Caulfield. After a lurid altercation with his father's distinctly dodgy lover, Hallam jumps ship and goes to the big city, where he quickly becomes obsessed with a female stranger who resembles his mother, and struggles with the loss of innocence and tensions of adolescence. But after developing a relationship with the stranger, the film becomes slack and loses interest as the plot becomes tenuous and spins off into improbability.
Still, on the plus side, Hallam Foe is not bad and even quite funny, and has a real sense of place. The cast is good, particularly Jamie Bell and Sophia Myles, both of whom give demanding performances.
O' Hallam...
ricstar1 December 2008
Whilst watching the film I couldn't help but feel that I shouldn't be liking this film as I watched it because of it's quite dark themes. However, I found this film very pleasant to watch because of its warm settings and engaging cinematography. The story was also complimented by the light-hearted music, taking a dark edge off of a dark theme to produce a thought-provoking film.
The acting was well done - especially parts involving the sexual tension. I must say that I felt the ending was a bit of an anticlimax, however, the ending seemed to be in keeping with the style of the film, resulting in an overall success.
The acting was well done - especially parts involving the sexual tension. I must say that I felt the ending was a bit of an anticlimax, however, the ending seemed to be in keeping with the style of the film, resulting in an overall success.
Have I seen Hallam Foe?
g_imdb-4654 September 2007
Definitely. I even dreamt about him. Jamie Bell's performance as a juvenile peeping tom is one that stays with you, following your subconscious around without permission. Eliciting sympathy one moment and astonishment the next, this teenager reeling from the death of his mother leaves viewers similarly out of kilter. A dramatic thriller funnier than a lot of what passes for comedy, David McKenzie's new feature is beautifully shot in Scotland without wasting a second, the camera lingering like Hallam's binoculars one moment before leaping to the next vantage point. The plot often feels erratic as Hallam rushes around Edinburgh in a haze of paranoia and confusion, but I felt this added to my sympathy for the young crazy, and only a couple of conveniently unfortunate incidents to ratchet up the tempo jarred slightly. A strong soundtrack from Scottish indie heroes Orange Juice and a host of their darker-tinged descendants helped everything along nicely. A strong cast made for compelling viewing, particularly Sophia Myles as the object of Hallam's roving lenses, though for me it was Jamie Bell's impressive turn that made it real. He even overshadowed Spud.
Great summary line is ->
kosmasp27 January 2008
"A voyage of voyeurism" by another user calls himself come2whereimfrom and is from the UK. And let me tell you, if the summary line makes you feel uncomfortable, than don't even bother watching the movie. It won't be your liking ...
Jamie Bell has a great role here, where he can play out a few things and try his acting skills. As the main actor in this film a lot weight is put on his shoulders, but he carries it. Even moments where you might be a bit annoyed (because you expected something to happen or because the movie went an extra mile/way you hadn't seen coming), it still is "entertaining" enough to hold your attention. If in the end, you might feel a bit ... let's say unsatisfied, that could be a good thing for a change ... depending on your own taste. Don't get it, right? Just take another look on the summary line and you'll know if this movie is for you or it ain't! :o)
Jamie Bell has a great role here, where he can play out a few things and try his acting skills. As the main actor in this film a lot weight is put on his shoulders, but he carries it. Even moments where you might be a bit annoyed (because you expected something to happen or because the movie went an extra mile/way you hadn't seen coming), it still is "entertaining" enough to hold your attention. If in the end, you might feel a bit ... let's say unsatisfied, that could be a good thing for a change ... depending on your own taste. Don't get it, right? Just take another look on the summary line and you'll know if this movie is for you or it ain't! :o)
Weird voyeuristic drama
alainenglish1 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Probably one of the most widely anticipated films of this year, "Hallam Foe" is a weird voyeuristic drama, a mix of whodunit, romance and family drama.
There is a great level of eccentricity that completely permeates "Hallam Foe", and this generates right from the eponymous title character, in an intense yet believably rounded performance from Jamie Bell.
Hallam (Bell) is a self-absorbed outsider obsessed with his dead mother who lives with his dad (Ciaran Hinds) and his stepmother (Claire Forlani) in the Scottish Highlands. Hallam likes to spy on other people, and his pasttime has descended into an obsession. Kicked out of his house after he goes too far, he heads to Edinburgh where he gets a job as a kitchen porter, beginning a romance with his boss Kate (Sophia Myles), the spitting image of his mum...
The film looks great, with some great location shooting in the Scottish Highlands and Edinburgh, complemented with a lively contemporary soundtrack.
Bell is well supported by Hinds and Forlani, along with rising star Sophia Myles as the luminous Kate. Jamie Sives as excellent as Hallam's thoroughly dislikeable love rival, and Maurice Roeves and Ewen Bremner, as his bonkers work colleagues, provide much welcome comic relief.
It can feel a bit too weird for its own good and Hallam does things which would land ordinary people in jail, and it's only through Bell's sympathetic portrayal that we're warming to him, when probably we shouldn't.
For anyone keen to see what all the fuss has been about, "Hallam Foe" is well worth your time.
There is a great level of eccentricity that completely permeates "Hallam Foe", and this generates right from the eponymous title character, in an intense yet believably rounded performance from Jamie Bell.
Hallam (Bell) is a self-absorbed outsider obsessed with his dead mother who lives with his dad (Ciaran Hinds) and his stepmother (Claire Forlani) in the Scottish Highlands. Hallam likes to spy on other people, and his pasttime has descended into an obsession. Kicked out of his house after he goes too far, he heads to Edinburgh where he gets a job as a kitchen porter, beginning a romance with his boss Kate (Sophia Myles), the spitting image of his mum...
The film looks great, with some great location shooting in the Scottish Highlands and Edinburgh, complemented with a lively contemporary soundtrack.
Bell is well supported by Hinds and Forlani, along with rising star Sophia Myles as the luminous Kate. Jamie Sives as excellent as Hallam's thoroughly dislikeable love rival, and Maurice Roeves and Ewen Bremner, as his bonkers work colleagues, provide much welcome comic relief.
It can feel a bit too weird for its own good and Hallam does things which would land ordinary people in jail, and it's only through Bell's sympathetic portrayal that we're warming to him, when probably we shouldn't.
For anyone keen to see what all the fuss has been about, "Hallam Foe" is well worth your time.
Quite creepy but interesting
shashank_150122 September 2023
The sole reason to watch this drama was that it had Claire Forlani in its credit. But this movie isn't about her, to be honest her screen time is way too less and her role is more like a vamp.
Hallam Foe is the story of a teenager with same name who's not able to move over his mother's untimely and mysterious death when he was 12 years old. He has this theory that somehow his step mother (Forlani) is the culprit. This has made him develop an unusual habit of peeping into other people's life from a tree house of his garden. This becomes interesting when he carries this habit to the city where he starts spying on a Lady who's her mother's lookalike and develops feeling for her (This was the part that I found quite unnatural). Post this everything he does is to get to know her.
A nice British drama.
Hallam Foe is the story of a teenager with same name who's not able to move over his mother's untimely and mysterious death when he was 12 years old. He has this theory that somehow his step mother (Forlani) is the culprit. This has made him develop an unusual habit of peeping into other people's life from a tree house of his garden. This becomes interesting when he carries this habit to the city where he starts spying on a Lady who's her mother's lookalike and develops feeling for her (This was the part that I found quite unnatural). Post this everything he does is to get to know her.
A nice British drama.
entertainingly wayward
gsygsy6 September 2007
Excellent performances, including a beautiful one by the city of Edinburgh, are what make this erratic movie worth seeing. Jamie Bell is very endearing, and demonstrates a wide emotional range (compare and contrast dull American actors like Ryan Phillippe and Matt Damon). He's well supported by, amongst others, Sophia Myles, Jamie Sives, that wonderful old stager Maurice Roeves and, in an splendid cameo, Ewan Bremner.
The story loses itself in unconvincing melodrama towards the end, which is a pity. Up till then it's an eccentric, entertainingly wayward affair, with a sparky script, good photography and lively editing.
The story loses itself in unconvincing melodrama towards the end, which is a pity. Up till then it's an eccentric, entertainingly wayward affair, with a sparky script, good photography and lively editing.
Jamie Bell saves the day... and the film (just about)
echobase26 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this film a couple of days ago at the BAFTA screening. The theatre was half full (or half empty ;) depending on your mood) and the audience, made by professionals and people in the industry mainly, was rather quiet throughout (read as: stiff). I'll give you some of my impressions without giving too much away (in fact even the trailer, which luckily I saw afterwards, ruins quite a lot of the surprises in the film, so try to avoid it if you can), though if you really want a SPOILER-free review, you should probably stop reading right now... Despite the film's story, its subject and its setting (gloomy and grey Scotland), "Hallam Foe" manages to be a rather light film for most of it, with lots of funny moments and sincere heart-felt scenes. The best thing has to be said, is Jamie Bell who really carries the whole film on his shoulders and never disappoints. His range of emotions is complete and he even manages to make a character which probably on page would look disturbing and uncomfortable, sympathetic and lovable
His character has been compared to the main character from the "Catcher in the Rye" and I can see why: Hallam Foe is an angry and confused boy, but he's clever and has moments of inspired brilliance (his job interview, or the way he manages to "shut up" his boss
). One of the scenes at the end, when he breaks down in tears, shows him at his best: fragile, natural, shameless (he even attempts a Daniel Radcliffe's Equus, standing almost complete naked in front of the camera... though not as brave as the Harry Potter actor, he cannot resist from covering his privy parts); but he's also very good in more relaxed and simple scenes, which could be straight out of any romantic comedy around today. I don't think I had ever seen Sophia Myles before, and I was quite pleased by her too
though her character has such extreme moments, going from stiff and serious to funny and a bit crazy that it's hard to tell how could anyone have played her
It is really hard to care for somebody so unbelievable
David Mackenzie's direction, script and choices are arguably not always the right ones... but then again, that's probably just me. A mixed of hand-held camera and very big close ups during some of the dialogue scenes and complicated and to my mind, not really needed, crane shots sweeping across the rooftops of Edinburgh (which give away the fact that most of it was clearly a set). It's nice to see Edinburgh shot in slightly different way from the way we are used to see. In the end what should have been a film about a kid coming to terms with the death of his mother and growing up, it becomes a lot more: it's also a film about a weird and probably even slightly incestuous and uncomfortable love story, a nasty step mother, voyeurism, sexuality, pain, death
There's just too much in it and some of it just doesn't go anywhere. For example, what the hell happens to the sister character and what was the point of all that goodbye scene at the front then? Was there any need at all for the sex scene with the stepmother at the front? You may argue that's the reason Jamie Bell leaves home
but to be honest the film would have worked just as well without. The scene with the mother's dress at the end is rather forced and actually for the film to worked better (WATCH OUT FOR THE BIG SPOILER HERE
) Jamie Bell and Sophia Myles should have never had sex (another scene that really sticks out as uncomfortable is the one where the two of them name their private parts
When you see it, you'll know what I mean). Actually, thinking back, it seemed to me that pretty much all the sex scenes and references are just out of placed. Anyway, to round it all up: "Hallam Foe" is an OK film, lifted from the bag mediocrity where most films lay these days by Jamie's performance and some lovely moments throughout which are genuinely inspired and original and make you want to forget the (several) other bad bits. The script leaves a lot to desire and one cheesy line follows another, especially from the characters of the father and from Myles' character. The music does however need special mention as most of it seem to be quite stop on, at least in terms of mood and energy.
As a film, it could all have been so much better But it just tried to hard to do too much.
As a film, it could all have been so much better But it just tried to hard to do too much.
Dark hearts beat quietly
timothyhilditch21 September 2021
A creepy teenagers coming of age story. Portraying the dark realities of relationships.
This movie is strangely childish in the way it's shot, how the characters are written and how it's shot. Works well through the eyes of the main character. Unfortunately the main thread didn't touch my heart. Leaving me disconnected from the protagonist.
This movie is strangely childish in the way it's shot, how the characters are written and how it's shot. Works well through the eyes of the main character. Unfortunately the main thread didn't touch my heart. Leaving me disconnected from the protagonist.
Sometimes i want sweet, sometimes i want sour..
FlashCallahan14 February 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Seventeen year-old Hallam Foe is a weird teenager that misses his mother, who committed suicide, drowning in a lake nearby 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 the hardest way....
Now this could be classed as a kind of Psycho for snobs. Yes, it's very impressive to look at, and the performances are great, but it concentrates too much on the mother fixation to convince us that this is some kind of psychedelic coming of age movie, or the Anti-Ferris Beuller if you would.
It's not very nice to watch in some scenes, and it has a downbeat feel all the way through, But Bell and Miles put some much needed human elements into it, thanks to their decidedly weird relationship.
The soundtrack is absolutely amazing, and just about saves the film, but it doesn't really make a lot of sense unfortunately, it's just a film about a boy who cannot forget about his mother, tries to get away from it, finds a woman who looks like his mother, watches her have sex, and in the last minute of the film decides not to dwell and find himself instead.
A bit bland to be honest.
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 the hardest way....
Now this could be classed as a kind of Psycho for snobs. Yes, it's very impressive to look at, and the performances are great, but it concentrates too much on the mother fixation to convince us that this is some kind of psychedelic coming of age movie, or the Anti-Ferris Beuller if you would.
It's not very nice to watch in some scenes, and it has a downbeat feel all the way through, But Bell and Miles put some much needed human elements into it, thanks to their decidedly weird relationship.
The soundtrack is absolutely amazing, and just about saves the film, but it doesn't really make a lot of sense unfortunately, it's just a film about a boy who cannot forget about his mother, tries to get away from it, finds a woman who looks like his mother, watches her have sex, and in the last minute of the film decides not to dwell and find himself instead.
A bit bland to be honest.
watch this to see jamie bells superb performance but for nothing else
kluismans4 May 2009
it is great to see jamie bell develop into such a fine actor. his performance in this lacklustre film really saved it from being completely unwatchable. it is a pity that his touching performance which was so subtle was not better used.
the film doesn't know what it is, is it a peeping tom movie, are we going to discover the murky habitat of a teenage prowler. or is it a coming of age story as a young adolescent learns to deal with his mothers death. the film could neither play up to the sinister suggestions of the beginning or play it down. i kept waiting for something dangerous to happen, feeling that the story was stuck in a boring interlude, until i realised that was the story. a boy falls in love with a girl who looks like his mother - and the imagined murder of her mother was the interlude.
well i still rate this film as watchable purely because of jamie bell's beautiful nuanced performance but for nothing else
the film doesn't know what it is, is it a peeping tom movie, are we going to discover the murky habitat of a teenage prowler. or is it a coming of age story as a young adolescent learns to deal with his mothers death. the film could neither play up to the sinister suggestions of the beginning or play it down. i kept waiting for something dangerous to happen, feeling that the story was stuck in a boring interlude, until i realised that was the story. a boy falls in love with a girl who looks like his mother - and the imagined murder of her mother was the interlude.
well i still rate this film as watchable purely because of jamie bell's beautiful nuanced performance but for nothing else
Overlooked and Under-appreciated
slake0926 June 2008
This is one of the overlooked gems of indie cinema that make you happy to find it.
Our friend Hallam Foe is a Scottish youth, upset over the suicide of his mother and the ascendancy of his stepmother. After various confrontations in his home town, mostly brought on by spying on the locals, he flees to London and begins a stalker type of romance with a hotel worker who looks like his deceased mother.
The charm of this movie is in the witty dialog, Hallam's unexpected cleverness, and his determination to confront his own issues. Even though his actions would be somewhat creepy in an older or less charming person, you can sympathize with him and hope that he somehow manages to cope with life in the big city. The film starts out kind of slow and confused but gets together about 30 minutes in and becomes clear. The ending is especially good, being just about what you would expect to happen in real life.
There is a real overtone of romance in this movie, making it a good date film, and a couple of clever sex scenes that are graphic without being explicit: there isn't much skin on display, but what's going on is obviously no-holds-barred humping.
Guys will like this film for Hallam's cleverness and determination, girls will like it for the offbeat romance, and everyone will groove to it for the quirkiness. See it, you'll be happy you did.
Our friend Hallam Foe is a Scottish youth, upset over the suicide of his mother and the ascendancy of his stepmother. After various confrontations in his home town, mostly brought on by spying on the locals, he flees to London and begins a stalker type of romance with a hotel worker who looks like his deceased mother.
The charm of this movie is in the witty dialog, Hallam's unexpected cleverness, and his determination to confront his own issues. Even though his actions would be somewhat creepy in an older or less charming person, you can sympathize with him and hope that he somehow manages to cope with life in the big city. The film starts out kind of slow and confused but gets together about 30 minutes in and becomes clear. The ending is especially good, being just about what you would expect to happen in real life.
There is a real overtone of romance in this movie, making it a good date film, and a couple of clever sex scenes that are graphic without being explicit: there isn't much skin on display, but what's going on is obviously no-holds-barred humping.
Guys will like this film for Hallam's cleverness and determination, girls will like it for the offbeat romance, and everyone will groove to it for the quirkiness. See it, you'll be happy you did.
Fey but affecting
paul2001sw-113 March 2012
If you wanted to mock 'Hallam Foe', it would be easy. There's the over-enunciated Edinburgh accents, for a start; the spider-man like abilities of the film's eponymous hero; the hackneyed device of a beautiful, sexually aware but troubled woman; the slightly unsatisfactory plot resolution; and the use of soft, folky music to provide a generic mood of wistful depression. But see it not as realism, but rather as a modern day folk tale, and its equally easy to like the movie, with its slightly fanciful vision of Edinburgh, and a slightly more fanciful vision of a fey but horny teenager let loose in the adult world. And there's a final bonus for anyone who remembers 'Tutti Frutti', in a decent role for (the highly underrated) Maurice Roeves.
Jamie Bell comes of age.
FilmEdinburgh16 August 2007
Jamie Bell's performance is fantastic. His character is troubled and not in the least appealing but by the end he's drawn you in and won you around. The Supporting cast are also strong and need to be as the story is not always believable. This is particularly true of the relationship between Bell and Sophia Myles.
Filmed in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders, David McKenzie captures Edinburgh on screen in the most real way I have seen to date. Seeing it from Hallam's point of view gave me vertigo. McKenzie avoids the picture postcards of Edinburgh that we are familiar with and lets us see it as stunning and cool. Fantastic soundtrack. See this film.
Filmed in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders, David McKenzie captures Edinburgh on screen in the most real way I have seen to date. Seeing it from Hallam's point of view gave me vertigo. McKenzie avoids the picture postcards of Edinburgh that we are familiar with and lets us see it as stunning and cool. Fantastic soundtrack. See this film.
Would Sophocles approve? Would Powell?
rhinocerosfive-17 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
HALLAM FOE is a good name for a story about being the enemy of your own peace. I wish the movie were as good.
In the pantheon of coming of age fairy tales, there is no more common theme than the Oedipal; it's easy, and easy to screw up. David Mackenzie doesn't completely screw this one up until the end, but he does take a lot of convenient outs along the way, some handed him by Peter Jinks and others invented with Ed Whitmore.
Start with a boy whose dead mother obsession turns his anger on, yes, a wicked stepmother, whom he sleeps with at the first opportunity, which is I suppose one way to revenge himself. But the deed only sends him careening off to find a better mother figure, this time a dead ringer - which brings us to another really easy choice: Mom's doppelganger is an HR chief who immediately and not very credibly hires him so that he can have less trouble stalking her. When she finds out that he spends most of his time glued to her windows with binoculars, she's more willing than most victimized girls to give him second and third chances to explain himself.
So Oedipus gets to sleep with two surrogate mothers, but in attacking his surrogate and real fathers, he inflicts only minor wounds that are not very satisfying to him nor to me. The whole movie is like that. There are many missed opportunities (like a real consequence for anybody's actions), red herrings (like a maybe suspicious/maybe not pair of third act crutches) and dead ends (whatever happened to his voyeurism? and where did it come from, for that matter?).
Oh well. As David Mackenzie movies go, at least it's no YOUNG ADAM. It is enormously less repellent and makes slightly more sense than that, and there are compensations: Claire Forlani, looking more severe than usual, and Sophia Myles, bringing some reality to a ridiculous role, and Ciaran Hinds and Ewen Bremner and Maurice Roeves, who are never less than perfect. Plus a resourceful and occasionally charming Oedipus, well played by the increasingly interesting Jaime Bell. And within its limitations the movie is intermittently, almost consistently engaging and enjoyable... until it winds up down by the loch, in a graceless calm-after-the-sturm und drang revelation that patly solves everyone's problems except mine.
In the pantheon of coming of age fairy tales, there is no more common theme than the Oedipal; it's easy, and easy to screw up. David Mackenzie doesn't completely screw this one up until the end, but he does take a lot of convenient outs along the way, some handed him by Peter Jinks and others invented with Ed Whitmore.
Start with a boy whose dead mother obsession turns his anger on, yes, a wicked stepmother, whom he sleeps with at the first opportunity, which is I suppose one way to revenge himself. But the deed only sends him careening off to find a better mother figure, this time a dead ringer - which brings us to another really easy choice: Mom's doppelganger is an HR chief who immediately and not very credibly hires him so that he can have less trouble stalking her. When she finds out that he spends most of his time glued to her windows with binoculars, she's more willing than most victimized girls to give him second and third chances to explain himself.
So Oedipus gets to sleep with two surrogate mothers, but in attacking his surrogate and real fathers, he inflicts only minor wounds that are not very satisfying to him nor to me. The whole movie is like that. There are many missed opportunities (like a real consequence for anybody's actions), red herrings (like a maybe suspicious/maybe not pair of third act crutches) and dead ends (whatever happened to his voyeurism? and where did it come from, for that matter?).
Oh well. As David Mackenzie movies go, at least it's no YOUNG ADAM. It is enormously less repellent and makes slightly more sense than that, and there are compensations: Claire Forlani, looking more severe than usual, and Sophia Myles, bringing some reality to a ridiculous role, and Ciaran Hinds and Ewen Bremner and Maurice Roeves, who are never less than perfect. Plus a resourceful and occasionally charming Oedipus, well played by the increasingly interesting Jaime Bell. And within its limitations the movie is intermittently, almost consistently engaging and enjoyable... until it winds up down by the loch, in a graceless calm-after-the-sturm und drang revelation that patly solves everyone's problems except mine.
Stalking Life
gradyharp14 November 2008
MISTER FOE (aka HALLAM FOE) is another dark film about buried pain and insecurities, much like director David Mackenzie's YOUNG ADAM. Mackenzie is also responsible for the crackling screenplay adapted from the novel by Peter Jinks, the story of a young lad named Hallam (Jamie Bell) damaged by his mother's death/?suicide to the point where he separates himself from the world by living in a tree house, observing his father (Ciarán Hinds) in his too rapid replacement of Hallam's mother with the dangerous Verity (Claire Forlani). A bizarre 17-year-old, Hallam attacks his fears and the world dressed in a manner of beast like costumes, all to assuage his grief for his mother's death. When Verity's behavior drives Hallam from his elegant home, he retreats to Edinburgh, becoming a boy of the streets. One day he spies a woman named Kate (Sophia Myles) who greatly resembles his dead mother and he begins stalking her, spying on her in every conceivable way until he convinces her to hire him in her hotel as a kitchen porter. Proximity feeds obsession and Hallam discovers that Kate is having an affair with a married hotel executive, the result of which is a clash with reality, and Hallam must confront his Oedipal desires with his coming to grips with the reality of his grief for this deceased mother. The discovery he makes with Kate transfers to his relationship with his own family and opens doors for growth rather than maintaining his jail- like mental anguish.
The story is bizarre and very dark at times, but the performance by Jamie Bell, well accompanied by those of Hinds, Forlani, Myles et al, make this tale of coming of age fascinating. The art direction (Caroline Grebbell), cinematography (Giles Nuttgens) and musical score (as concocted by Matt Biffa from performers such as Future Pilot A.K.A.) enhance the production - maintaining the high standards set by Mackenzie. Hallam is a lad we grow to love despite his kooky behavior: few other actors could inhabit this role with the élan of the considerably talented Jamie Bell. Recommended. Grady Harp
The story is bizarre and very dark at times, but the performance by Jamie Bell, well accompanied by those of Hinds, Forlani, Myles et al, make this tale of coming of age fascinating. The art direction (Caroline Grebbell), cinematography (Giles Nuttgens) and musical score (as concocted by Matt Biffa from performers such as Future Pilot A.K.A.) enhance the production - maintaining the high standards set by Mackenzie. Hallam is a lad we grow to love despite his kooky behavior: few other actors could inhabit this role with the élan of the considerably talented Jamie Bell. Recommended. Grady Harp
Hallam Foe (2007)
SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain13 December 2011
Awkward and engrossing movie that overcomes its unlikable lead by making him confused and relatable. It's a very difficult performance Bell has to pull off in this movie. He must present himself as a mentally fractured peeping tom whilst all the while leading us along a romantic path. The performances and characterizations are key here. Forlani isn't exactly the evil stepmother from many movies, but she is able to carry a certain stench of menace. Paired with Bell's confusion and creepiness, it adds up to more of an emotional mystery than a murder one. In many ways it's a wonderful coming of age tale, that delicately approaches the mind of a teenager. It bridges the gaps between anger, madness, and danger. At times it tries to be a bit too hip, with it's constant twangy soundtrack, but at least it works nicely with the dull but mesmerizing cinematography.
Story of a young man's sexual confusion.
jambo-916 September 2007
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.
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