Artificial intelligence has been one of the hottest topics from last year. The capitalist billionaires and their disciples keep singing its praises. On the other hand, a large chunk of the population is worried about its effect on human lives. Garth Davis initiates a similar discussion through his new sci-fi thriller. Starring Paul Mescal & Saoirse Ronan in the lead roles, ‘Foe’ is a relationship drama that explores our anxieties about the future. Based on Iain Reid’s novel of the same name, it treads a fine line between the need for progress & survival – and whether they can co-exist in a fulfilling way or not. Spoilers ahead.
Foe (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What is ‘Foe’ movie about?
‘Foe,’ starring Paul Mescal & Saoirse Ronan, is now streaming on Prime Video. Set in the near future, it follows a rural American couple who receive a life-changing opportunity. We meet Henrietta (played by Ronan) & Junior (played by Mescal) as this married couple living in an idyllic small town. One day, they suddenly hear a knock on the door. They get worried because they hardly get any visitors. The man, on the other side speaks about a climate migration strategy and off-Earth habitation. He assures them that he means no harm. While Junior does not feel confident enough, he agrees to let the man in. However, he thinks Hen knows more about this man than he does.
Terrance (played by Aaron Pierre) walks in and proposes a golden opportunity. He offers Junior a chance to work in a large space station. Considering the dire state of the Earth, Terrance mentions that it will be inhabitable in no time. Junior patiently listens and then asks a serious question – ‘What if he doesn’t agree to go to outer space?’ Terrance implies that it is not a matter of his agreement; he must do as told. That upsets Junior. Somehow, Terrance manages to alleviate the tension and tries to make the couple comfortable with the prospect.
How is Hen & Junior’s marriage in ‘Foe’?
Once Terrance leaves their house, Junior approaches Hen in bed. But she acts distant. So, he ends up spending the night in the guest room. The next day, both Hen and Junior resume their usual lives. Junior goes to work in a meat factory, whereas she goes to work at a local diner. Back home, he keeps trying to mend their marriage, thinking that it’s broken. She asks him about their past and sees how much he remembers of it. After that conversation, they get back in the same bed together. He feels she is worried about him needing to leave soon. She tries to make him not worry about it.
One year later, Terrance returns to speak about the installation. He insists Junior be ready to leave in a couple of weeks. Besides, he hopes to stay somewhere nearby to closely observe their marriage and collect data for his work. She gets furious since she thought they had more time left together. Later, she takes out her anger by throwing Junior’s things away. He calms her down. They both notice a cockroach in their cupboard. Instead of killing it out of fear of infestation, he just keeps staring at it. Later at work, he gets tired of the monotony and wants to break free. On a whim, he decides to meet Hen at the diner and takes her on a ride away from their work.
What happens on Hen & Junior’s day off from work?
Hen & Junior spend a day ruminating about their lives and enjoying each other’s company. By the dawn, he notices a house suddenly bursting into flames. He runs toward it, and she follows to protect him. The following morning, he wakes up with a plastered hand. Hen explains the situation about the old barn to calm him down. Terrance believes Hen purposefully did this, thinking Junior’s injury will stop Terrance from forcing him to leave. Later at diner, he prepares them for the inevitable. In exchange, he offers to let Junior’s robot replica stay back – to give Hen company in his absence. He calls it a self-determining life form.
Throughout the discussion, Terrance focuses on convincing Junior to agree to his plan and neglects how Hen feels about the situation. He keeps checking on Junior’s mental state, asking him questions while mitigating his anxiety. Later on, he injects something into Junior’s body and asks about his relationship with Hen. Strange things start happening in Junior’s life that he can’t make head or tail of. He finds a recording of Hen and eavesdrops on her conversation with Terrance. She speaks about her difficulties in accepting the end of their idyllic lives.
Foe (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
What happens at the end of ‘Foe’?
Junior slowly starts realizing strange details from his life with Hen. Terrence’s interference in their lives also gets on his nerves. He grows confused, agitated, and skeptical about his reality. Eventually, he bursts into anger at this stranger who, he thinks, has been trying to sabotage his marriage. He also gets jealous, thinking Terrance is trying to get close to his wife. After the outburst, he suddenly collapses on the floor. Hours later, Hen cuts her hair short. That night, a light appears outside her house. Junior walks in and hugs her. He says he missed her so much. How is that possible? Well, here’s the twist from “Foe.”
Junior walks into another room to find his replica lying on the floor. Turns out, the person we see until then was not Junior but his replacement. Terrance explains how he had to deceive to maintain a peaceful relationship on Earth. Before Terrance knocked on their door, his car’s headlights turned the robot Junior on. The replacement gets heartbroken after realizing that he isn’t the human he thought he was. Hen also gets emotional at the thought of losing someone she cherished being with for over a year. Junior notices that and gets upset. Later, he takes out his anger on her and reveals his toxic, egotistical, and entitled side. He feels she has been disloyal to him owing to her connection with his replica.
Why did Hen not want Junior to leave?
During Foe’s final twist ending, we learn that the person living with Hen was not Junior but his replacement. After a while of living with him, she grew fond of this person. She helped him learn to be a person. He constantly tried to work on their marriage and enjoy their time together. There was a sense of awe and excitement in his actions that she probably missed in her actual marriage. The replacement felt like Junior’s past version that Hen had fallen in love with. Unlike that, Junior is quite an unpleasant company. He shows his toxic side soon after he returns home.
When it starts raining, Hen runs out, hoping they will enjoy the moment together. But he does not share her enthusiasm. Instead, he tells her that he does not need her help. Unlike the replacement, who desired her company, Junior just wants to stay with her – out of his urge for a sense of ownership. That’s why, Hen did not want Junior’s replacement to leave. Once Junior returns, she senses that she may never be able to return to being the way they were. In anger, she destroys the piano and takes a brave step – she decides to leave to explore the world, as she once discussed with Terrance.
What does Foe’s ending mean?
At the end of “Foe,” we see Hen’s replacement arrive home to stay with Junior. He loves her company, and so does she. They appear to have a good time together. One day, she sees a bug in their sink but does nothing – just like Junior’s replacement. However, Junior kills it without a second thought. On the other hand, the actual Hen gathers the courage to leave and explore other options. So, Foe’s ending underlines the fickle nature of our emotional core. Hen loved Junior’s past version, unlike his present one. He loved only a side of her that was acceptable, in his opinion. So, it highlights the lack of certainty in matters of the heart – just as anything else about the future of humankind.
Who knows whether robots can be able to replace us effectively? But we can’t eliminate the possibility that they can – even for the things we consider to be deeply human.
