Foe (2023)

	Directed by: Garth Davis	COUNTRY Australia/USA GENRE Science Fiction/Psychological thriller NORWEGIAN TITLE Foe RUNNING TIME 110 minutes
	Produced by: Kerry Kohansky-Roberts Garth Davis Emile Sherman Iain Canning
	Written by (based on "Foe" by Iain Reid): Iain Reid Garth Davis

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Hen	Saoirse Ronan	½
Junior	Paul Mescal	½
Terrance	Aaron Pierre	½

Review

This entry in the category of "cheap-looking sci-fi made for streaming" feels claustrophobic and limiting, despite its predilection for wide-angle shots of barren Australian scenery. Hen (Saoirse Ronan) and Junior (Paul Mescal) are a young couple living a simple life on a desolate farm in the 2060s, when living conditions on Earth have deteriorated almost to the point of being unhabitable. When they receive a mysterious visitor (Aaron Pierre) who announces that Junior has been selected to participate in a new off-world living project, the dynamic between the two is tested and shifted. Garth Davis (Lion) is the man behind this sullen film that purports to be big but feels remarkably small. We're supposedly treated to a discussion about the interface between artificial intelligence and humanity, but it's mostly just posturing and moods around familiar tropes. The talented Ronan and Mescal give wholehearted performances and try to lift the film up from its lifeless mediocrity, but they are essentially helpless against the stagnant story and the unconvincing Terrance character. An annoying picture with very little to say, except for some obvious realities.