Based on bestselling author Iain Reid’s novel, directed by Garth Davis and co-written by Davis and Reid, Foe is a mesmerizing, yet still slightly dull, portrayal of a couple in crisis. Academy Award nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal star as a couple, Hen and Junior, and the ending reflects on love, identity, and boundaries as they find a way to be both together and apart with the help of AI and robotic counterparts.
Hen and Junior are approached by a man from the Climate Migration Strategy, regarding living in space — it’s not as far-fetched as it could have been once, and just like being drafted in the war, Junior is drafted to go into space. Then the film slows down as we watch their clearly strained relationship try to somewhat heal through sex and pillow talk — this isn’t the case though, as we’ll learn in a twist.
The last thirty minutes are the most interesting part of the film where we meet the AI robot that will be replacing him. Beaten, on the floor, with pink lighting, the robot is confused, as it believes it is Hen’s real husband. It turns out, the Junior we have been watching is the robot and the real Junior has just come back from his mission. It’s almost torturous and I was compelled. This little twist gives the film more strength, but it took a long time to come around and the build-up was weak.
The robot Junior is destroyed (sealed in a vacuum), which is quite emotional when you think about the idea that AI can experience consciousness and feelings and where this could lead. From here on Hen and the real Junior’s relationship is stretched, more distant than before. Hen smashes her beloved piano, thus giving the impression something has ended for her and she’s done.
How does Foe end?
In the next scene, the couple make love and seem ridiculously happy. Hen is shocked by a bug she has never seen before in the sink when we know she has. Junior seems confused but also doesn’t care.
The final shot is Hen looking out of the window and taking a deep breath. Here, do we think Hen has run away to live a life she’s always wanted for herself and through her absence, has provided her memories and image to create an AI copy of her that is sent to Junior? Yes.
Why is Junior taken away?
The world is burning at a rapid rate, and instead of fixing the planet, the higher powers are trying to start life on a new one. The Climate Migration Strategy wants Junior to go and help their mission of living in space. Even though he doesn’t want to go, he’s young and has skills that can help move people to a safe new planet. It’s like being drafted, but to go to space.
Do Hen and Junior stay married?
Once we learn that Junior has been a robot for a year and the experiment made Hen fall in love with that robot, her relationship with the real Junior is strained, complicated, and unforgiving.
The film ends with Hen flying away alone on a plane, to a life she’s always wanted to live. Hen has provided her memories and image to create an AI copy of herself that is sent to Junior’s door. He now has his ideal wife. Hen is now free. So, in theory, yes they are still married, but one partner is free and one is living with a robot.
What did you think of the ending of Foe? Comment below.
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