Jamie Bell stars in this darkly funny coming of age story about a misfit who likes to watch the world from a tree house in the grounds of his father's house.
When first sitting down to watch Hallam Foe I had no real expectations of what to expect. I had seen a few trailers and heard the name battered around certain culture shows over here in the UK, but I still had no real grasp of what the plot could be.
The film features Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) in the starring role with co-stars Sophia Myles (Thunderbirds), Claire Forlani (Meet Joe Black) and Ciaran Hinds (Munich) all playing their part in this jigsaw of a film. Putting a description of this film in just a few words would not do justice to its plot. As mentioned previously I had no hold on the plot before watching and I believe this enhanced the movie. From the get go, you are left in the lurch of what is really going on. In a culture that has come to expect the main story to be revealed in the first ten minutes this was refreshing. You are not told as an audience that a hates b, or x loves y, you as a viewer piece this together.
Looking back, this review may not be as helpful as first hoped. It is not as fluent or articulate as I a wished it to be, but that is a good thing because it is perfect for this film. This film is rough around the edges just like this shabby little review. It's got some powerful scenes that I wouldn't go as far to say as shock but they do delve an emotional punch to the gut.
With a strong emotional love story running through the heart of the film you must have some strong acting talent to carry the weight of it on their shoulders and Hallam Foe has done just that. Bell is fantastic in his role as the young Hallam. Clever, funny and disturbed are perhaps not words you would like to describe yourself but when it come to a character in a love story it is certainly interests me. But I cannot finish without mentioning the mesmerising Sophia Myles. She is not a polished Hollywood star, she doesn't have the glossed Hollywood look and that is why I like her. With so many female actresses cast for being a Hollywood ideal, when a 'real' women figure burst onto the scene I sit up and applaud....Well metaphorically anyway.
Again I look over this review and see a cluttered mess of words. Rambles and rants are strewn over this little piece. So to do my best to end, I will just leave you with this - Go see Hallam Foe....
Go see Hallam Foe, watch and enjoy and come back here and discuss. I mean what more could you want - Great acting, an intricately beautiful story and fantastic direction from David MacKenzie?
Jamie Bell stars as a repressed teenager who is troubled about his mother"s mysterious death, who spends his time spying on people with binoculars. To clear his mind he flees to Edinburgh only to fill it up again with the head-turning hotel worker Sophia Miles, who bears resemblance to his late mother. Layering down character developments and clever plotting, this psychological drama has a lot to give.
Hallam Foe (Jamie Bell) is an angry young man. His mother died in mysterious circumstances leading him to retreat away from the world in almost every sense. His father, Julius (Ciaran Hinds) is ensnared by the alluring Verity (Claire Forlani) but Hallam is distrustful of his new step-mother believing her to have played a part in his mother"s death.
To say that Hallam has a flair for the dramatic would be an understatement. Hiding in the confines of his woodland tree house near his home he uses make-up as a kind of war-paint, wears what can only be described as a badger-skin hat and one of his mother"s dresses. He also plays out his rather unedifying habit of spying on his step-mother, in an attempt to uncover her guilt, as well as terrorising local al-fresco lovers.
A voyeur, Hallam is overtaken by his inner turmoil. Insecure and afraid his attraction to Verity grows until, whilst still under her seductive power, they confront each other in a fit of rage and passion, culminating in a brief and fumbling sexual liaison. Was it part of her plan to force Hallam out of home? Hallam"s father believes it to have been nothing more than a clumsy pass on his son"s part. But embarrassed Hallam believes his only resort it to go it alone and soon he finds himself on the unforgiving streets of Edinburgh homeless and penniless.
At street level it"s a city of grime and grittiness - the harsh realities of life apparent - homelessness, drug abuse and prostitution rule everyday life here. But from the rooftops, that Hallam makes his own, Edinburgh is a city full of life, of vibrancy or colour and opportunity.
Hallam spots Kate, a young woman with the outward appearance that is the ghost of his mother. He finds himself drawn to her, and although unsure of whether he wants simple companionship or a sexual relationship, he takes a job as a lowly-paid kitchen porter in the hotel where she works so that he can spend time with her.
In the clock-tower of the hotel, Hallam once again finds a hideaway refuge and once again he looks through his binoculars, but now at the beautiful Kate.
Jamie Bell"s performance is a wonder. Unafraid to make himself in many ways unattractive as Hallam his performance is mightily impressive. And here his energy and charm shines through.
Sophie Myles also deliveries a fine performance and has several tough scenes which she handles flawlessly.
The audience will ask themselves why would they like Hallam? Why would they follow him on his journey? Frankly his weirdness makes him at least mildly unsympathetic. He"s a stalker, a confused, angry loner, detached from the world that most of us live in. A a damaged soul, at his best, Hallam is an intelligent, creative, thoughtful and truly unique young man while at his worst he treads a very fine line with perversion and a pathological fear of intimacy. Yet somewhere within his love of Kate, he finds redemption.
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Bittersweet drama starring Jamie Bell. Hallam Foe (Bell) is almost over the sudden death of his mother when he begins to suspect that his beautiful stepmother, Verity (Claire Forlani), may have had a hand in her death. After a confrontation with Verity, Hallam escapes to Edinburgh. With no money and no friends, he finds his tree-top skills well suited to the rooftops of the city, where he lives ferally, attempting to avoid the perils of the streets below and becoming obsessed with a gorgeous girl (Sophia Myles) who happens to look just like his mother.
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