Foe Parent Guide

By 2065 climate change has rendered the Earth nearly uninhabitable, to the point that the United States government is conscripting young men to go to space to build an alternative home for future generations. One of those conscripts is Junior (Paul Mescal), a Midwestern farmer living a dull and predictable life with his wife, Hen (Saoirse Ronan). To keep Hen company while Junior is away, the government offers her an AI clone of her husband who has had Junior’s memories implanted so as to be indistinguishable from the real man.

Sci-fi is a genre of possibilities. It has infinite creative avenues and the ability to comment on current and universal human issues in new and powerful ways. It’s also a genre with the possibility for ponderous, dull, garbage that thinks it’s making deep commentary while really it isn’t doing anything but being pretentious. Based on my “D” grade, can you guess which side of that spectrum Foe falls on?

The entire premise of Foe is both derivative and frustrating, with confusing twists and plot holes. Nothing really happens for a majority of the runtime, which is far too long for such a thin plot in the first place. The dialogue is clunky and unintentionally hilarious. The fact that I laughed through most of my viewing when this film is obviously meant to be super dramatic and serious says a lot about the quality of the writing.

In Foe’s defense, Ronan and Mescal are both giving master classes in acting. Although their dialogue is ridiculous, they give it their all and their emotions are palpable. They are the only possible reason I could think of why someone would want to watch this movie, but even that isn’t enough to make it worth their time.

With a lot of swearing and multiple sex scenes involving nudity, this R-rated slog is not for young or sensitive viewers. If you’re not concerned about negative content, this movie also isn’t for you because it’s terrible. There’s a Black Mirror episode with a very similar premise that is far more worth your time if you’re a fan of sci fi and philosophical questions around AI. Or you can play around on Chat GPT for a while. That’s just as bleak as this film.