We’re barely into our Age of A.I., but the story trope of swapping a highly advanced, bio-synthetic A.I. in place of an actual human being, then seeing what happens is already played out. Maybe Rod Serling had the purest canvas to tackle the concept in the ’50s and ’60s with his smartly written episodes of The Twilight Zone. In 2023, few screenwriters are coming at the topic with something really fresh to say. Author Iain Reid went for it with his 2018 novel Foe, and has revisited the same story again by co-writing a film adaptation with director Garth Davis (Lion). Perhaps what was once haunting and unsettling on the book page has not, in more overt staging, translated well to the screen.
The film sticks closely to the spine of Reid’s book, while opening up the world to be more cinematic. It remains a relatively austere tale set in Midwestern America, 2065. Climate change, extreme drought and mass migration has turned global land masses into wastelands. Nothing grows on the parched land that Junior (Paul Mescal) inherited from his family’s farm. In fact, the only thing he and his wife, Henrietta (Saoirse Ronan), produce (and in excess) is sweat as they softly prowl around their weathered two-story homestead. Aside from Junior’s job at a local chicken processing plant and Hen’s waitressing job, their lives revolve around supporting a dying farm he is surly about leaving.
It’s the unannounced, solo arrival by night of the magnetic Terrance (Aaron Pierre) that throws their petrified existence into disarray. Terrance works for Outermore, an omnipotent tech company that works with governments to recruit lottery-selected candidates to become inhabitants on an orbiting space station that is in Beta-testing. With the planet withering, resources have been redirected to the station, which is seen as humanity’s resettlement savior, as long as some kinks can be ironed out by the “heroes” who volunteer for two-year tours. Junior is one of those picked. When he balks about leaving Hen behind, Terrance tells him the “choice” is actually a warmly framed conscription, so get over it. However, Outermore isn’t heartless. They’ll create an A.I. “human substitute” that will essentially be a clone of Junior, to the smallest detail, so Hen isn’t left alone to rot all by herself.
Can you sniff where this is going? In two-year prep countdown, Junior bonds with Hen more deeply than ever before as he frets about his impending exit date. That’s exacerbated when Terrance moves in to observe the couple and intimately quiz them about their communication. Junior becomes paranoid about Terrance’s ulterior motives, and alludes to what is really going on under the surface.
Trite revelations aside, Foe starts frustratingly well. Despite its minimal, dusty locations, Davis cinematically captures the bleak near-future humanity shouldn’t be surprised is coming on fast. Using aerial drone shots, Davis makes the existing, recognizable landscapes of the Midwest appear stark and otherworldly. He also fills his frames with compelling, world-building elements that paint a picture of massive changes in the world, without feeling the need to explain much. With his arid lighting and rich golden color palettes, cinematographer Mátyás Erdély has crafted a very handsome film which bolsters the personal dramas sparking between Junior and Hen, and their guest in the house.
Most impressive, though, is the masterful work of Ronan and Mescal, enthusiastically throwing their hearts and souls into their characters’ journeys. As always, Ronan’s expressive face and soulful eyes speak volumes beyond the dialogue, here complemented by Mescal’s acting choices. For the first two acts, watching the dance of their complicated marriage evolves from distant partners to reignited lovers is satisfying on its own. They come at the material with the intensity and realism of a two-hander play. But that finely tuned story is thrown into chaos by an ill-conceived and poorly executed last act.
Aside from the fact that its twist is far less clever than the writers seem to think, Davis and Reid then have nothing of importance to say about what’s revealed. The tech, the sci-fi elements, Junior’s two-year mission all become story ciphers as the filmmakers force-feed the ramifications of their plotting in the most emotionally hollow ways possible. What was a mostly balanced story between Hen and Junior suddenly becomes all about fulfilling Junior’s wants and needs, with Hen relegated to an entirely subservient position. It’s a jarringly misogynistic turn that the script doesn’t seem to understand, presuming to provide her with a performative “choice” when she’s been stripped of everything that might have given her some happiness. It’s an outcome so needlessly callous and unsatisfying that I’m certain a last shot of Hen was added in the edit in a desperate attempt to salvage any emotion from the audience.
Adding insult to Hen’s injury is the mind-boggling choice to reward the very worst behaviors in the film, and give the happiest ending to Junior. It’s a baffling decision that annihilates all the finely detailed work that Ronan and Mescal did up to the turn, torched in favor of narcissism. If Foe had ended at the twist reveal, I would have walked away appreciating its choice for bold ambiguity, its evocative visuals and the exceptional performances. Instead, the last 20 minutes create a mixed-message ending so reductive it feels like it belongs in a movie made before A.I. was even conceived.
Director: Garth Davis
Writers: Garth Davis, Iain Reid
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, Aaron Pierre
Release Date: October 6, 2023
Tara Bennett is a Los Angeles-based writer covering film, television and pop culture for publications such as SFX Magazine, Total Film, SYFY Wire and more. She’s also written books on Sons of Anarchy, Outlander, Fringe, The Story of Marvel Studios and The Art of Avatar: The Way of Water. You can follow her on Twitter @TaraDBennett or Instagram @TaraDBen