Does the name Jamie Bell sound familiar? If it doesn’t, it will very soon. Bell – at the tender age of 22 – has begun to carve a niche for himself in acting circles. His big screen debut was the Oscar nominated feel-good movie Billy Elliot, which provided a great showcase for the then teen actor to display his obvious talent. I first noticed Bell in 2004’s Undertow and a year later in the surprisingly good, albeit oddly titled, The Chumscrubber. His range of emotion and ability to dominate scenes was impressive. Recently Bell has tried his hat at mainstream fare such as King Kong and Jumper. The latter film was made watchable by his presence alone. One of the best performances of his young career was in the seldom seen Mister Foe, a nifty little thriller about letting go of adolescence.

Bell plays Hallam Foe, a Scottish teen living in self-imposed isolation since his mother’s suicide two years earlier. Hallam spends most of days in his wooded tree-house, obsessing over his mother and spying on everything and everyone. His most frequent spy subject is his stepmother Verity (Claire Forlani), who he believes killed his mother. Hallam has no desire to vacate his estate home, but a close encounter with Verity forces his hand. The odd youth moves his voyeuristic games to the big city where he takes to following Kate (Sophia Myles), a human resources worker who happens to be a dead-ringer for his deceased mother. After charming Kate into giving him a dishwasher job, Hallam makes her the new object of his affections and weirdness. A friendship develops as Kate declares her fondness for “creepy guys.” Hallam soon finds himself embroiled in an Oedipal relationship with the alluring Kate, which opens a vein of emotions and feelings never felt before.

Sexy, strange and warped best describe this dark but humorous story. Hallam’s lack of normalcy makes him a compelling lead character. His unpredictable behavioral patterns keeps a thin plot interesting, if not always believable. Myles is convincing as the wounded Kate, but the lack of glimpses into her past makes her character somewhat frustrating. Why is she drawn to Hallam? What in her history allows her to relate to Hallam’s peculiarities? Director David Mackenzie goes for shock value without providing adequate explanation. A few scenes of exposition would have gone a long way to better understanding the characters’ actions and motivations. That being said, Mackenzie’s fearless style fits the film perfectly as does his ability to capture sentiment. Extracting empathy from an audience can be a chore, but Mackenzie pulls it off without resorting to cliches.

Back to Bell. He brings a level of likability to weirdo Hallam. It would have been easy to dismiss the character after the twenty minutes, but Bell adds humor and charisma. Hallam’s issues are serious, however, it’s difficult not to root for the kid. It’s also refreshing to see Forlani play a femme fatale-ish type; she’s normally reserved to more demure, romantic roles. Myles is quite the find as well. She possesses a natural beauty that is rare in movies today. I’ve never seen her before, but I will look for her in the future. Lastly, a modern Euro soundtrack featuring “Hood,” “Sons and Daughters,” “Clinic,” and “U.N.P.O.C.”, complements the proceedings very effectively. Mister Foe isn’t without flaws, but it is intriguing and unusual. That should be enough to pique your interest.

The trailer for Mister Foe:

No Comments »