Hallam Foe (2007)

Director:

David Mackenzie

Writers:

Peter Jinks (novel)
David Mackenzie (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 August 2007 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Who is Hallam Foe?

Plot:

Hallam's talent for spying on people reveals his darkest fears-and his most peculiar desires. Driven to expose the true cause of his mother's death, he instead finds himself searching the rooftops of the city for love.

Plot Keywords:

Scotland | Coming Of Age | Teenage Boy | Voyeurism | Scottish Accent

Awards:

7 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Jamie Bell	...	Hallam Foe
Sophia Myles	...	Kate Breck
Ciarán Hinds	...	Julius Foe
Jamie Sives	...	Alasdair
Maurice Roëves	...	Raymond
Ewen Bremner	...	Andy
Claire Forlani	...	Verity Foe
Ruth Milne	...	Jenny
John Paul Lawler	...	Carl
Lucy Holt	...	Lucy
Malcolm Shields	...	Kilt Man
John Comerford	...	Grumpy Glaswegian
Gerry Cleary	...	Grumpy Glaswegian
Paul Blair	...	Raincoat Man
Neil McKinven	...	Police Officer

Also Known As:

Mister Foe (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | Netherlands:12 | Germany:12 (re-rating on appeal) | South Korea:18 | Australia:MA (2007) | Germany:16 (original rating) | Ireland:18 | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:11 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Cockburn St., Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Company:

Film4

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Hallam works in the Balmoral Hotel at the East end of Princes Street, yet all shots of the staff entrance to the hotel are clearly the Caledonian Hotel at the West end of the Street.

Soundtrack:

Blue boy

A voyage of voyeurism.

Jamie bell has certainly come a long way from that little dancing boy 'Billy Elliot', although he never seems to get any older, and here he takes another challenging role as Hallam Foe. Hallam is introduced to us as he skylines onto a couple having sex near his tree house, not only is he semi-clad and wearing make-up he is sporting a rather bizarre piece of headgear made out of a badger. It is at this point we the audience can assume that Hallam is not only a bit mad but a bit creepy, which apparently stems from his mothers suicide. From here on in the story sees him leave behind his tree house sanctuary, not by choice, and fly the nest to Edinburgh, he is homeless, jobless and believes his step mother killed his real mother. Armed with his trusty binoculars he scrambles around the roof tops spying on the residents of the city and we learn that he distanced himself from people when he lost his mother and it just turned into a kind of habit, a modern day peeping tom. As opposed to the obsession he had with everyone before he left home, he becomes focused on Kate, a human resources officer for a large hotel, mainly due to the fact that she reminds him of his mother. After conning his way into a job at the hotel he embarks on a relationship with Kate but his spiralling madness, dark secret and Kate's regular sex partner threaten everything and push Hallam further down the spiral. Directed by David Mackenzie it really does have a sense of love for the city and its people, but its Bell and Sophia Myles (Kate), whose strange relationship forms the centre of the film, that carry the plot along. With music from the likes of Orange Juice to Sons and Daughters and an exclusive Franz Ferdinand track the pace is upbeat and the David Shrigley Cartoon titles should be an inclination to the type of quirky film this is. Bold, funny and a little disturbing Hallam Foe is an enjoyable romp through the weird and wonderful world of the human mind and emotions and how certain things can affect our everything.