# Hallam Foe > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hallam_Foe > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hallam_Foe.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallam_Foe > Source revision: 1339123428 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{For|the book that inspired this film|Hallam Foe (novel)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}} {{Use British English|date=June 2016}} {{Infobox film | name = Hallam Foe | image = Hallam-foe.jpg | alt = | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = [David Mackenzie](/source/David_Mackenzie_(director)) | producer = Gillian Berrie | screenplay = David Mackenzie
[Ed Whitmore](/source/Ed_Whitmore) | based_on = {{Based on|''[Hallam Foe](/source/Hallam_Foe_(novel))''|Peter Jinks}} | starring = {{Plain list | * [Jamie Bell](/source/Jamie_Bell) * [Sophia Myles](/source/Sophia_Myles) * [Claire Forlani](/source/Claire_Forlani) * [Ciarán Hinds](/source/Ciar%C3%A1n_Hinds) * [Jamie Sives](/source/Jamie_Sives) * [Maurice Roëves](/source/Maurice_Ro%C3%ABves) }} | music = Matt Biffa (music consultant) | cinematography = [Giles Nuttgens](/source/Giles_Nuttgens) | editing = Colin Monie | studio = [The Film Factory](/source/The_Film_Factory)
Ingenious Film Partners
Glasgow Film Office,
[STV](/source/STV_(TV_channel))
Scottish Screen
[Sigma Films](/source/Sigma_Films) | distributor = [Buena Vista International](/source/Buena_Vista_International){{cite web|title=Hallam Foe|work=[Box Office Mojo](/source/Box_Office_Mojo)|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3397813249/weekend/}} | released = {{Film date|2007|08|31|df=yes}} | runtime = 95 minutes | country = United Kingdom | language = English }} '''''Hallam Foe''''' is a 2007 British drama film directed by [David Mackenzie](/source/David_Mackenzie_(director)) based on [the novel](/source/Hallam_Foe_(novel)) written by Peter Jinks. The film was released in the United States as '''''Mister Foe'''''. The screenplay was written by [Ed Whitmore](/source/Ed_Whitmore) and David Mackenzie and produced by Gillian Berrie. ''Hallam Foe'' premiered at the [Berlin Film Festival](/source/Berlin_Film_Festival) on 16 February 2007 and competed for the Golden Bear for Best Motion Picture. The film won the Silver Bear for Best Music.{{cite web | url = http://www.berlinale.de/media/pdf_word/service_7/57_ifb/57_IFB_Awards.pdf | title = The Awards of the 57th Berlin International Film Festival | accessdate = 2014-01-11 }} The film was released in the [UK](/source/United_Kingdom) on 31 August 2007 and in the US on 5 September 2008. ==Plot== Hallam Foe is a teenage loner who lives on his father Julius' large estate near [Peebles](/source/Peebles). His hobby is spying on people from his tree house. Hallam is convinced that his stepmother, Verity, is responsible for his mother's death by drowning two years earlier. Hallam's sister Lucy leaves home to attend university and it becomes clear that Verity and his father want Hallam to move on as well. Hallam initially refuses due to his suspicion of Verity, but she uses his diaries first to have sex with him and then to [blackmail](/source/blackmail) him into leaving. To escape his father and stepmother, Hallam travels to [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh). Upon arrival in Edinburgh, Hallam sees Kate, an administrator at the [Balmoral Hotel](/source/Balmoral_Hotel), located in the city centre. Kate bears a striking resemblance to his late mother. He manages to persuade her to give him a job as a kitchen porter in the hotel. Hallam makes his home in the clock tower of the hotel because of its vantage point over Kate's home in a top flat, where he can spy on her. He also spies on Kate through a [skylight](/source/skylight_(window)) on her roof, clambering over the roofscape to reach his vantage point. Hallam learns that another senior hotel employee, Alasdair, is having an [extra-marital affair](/source/extra-marital_affair) with Kate. Alasdair then discovers Hallam's lookout in the clock tower. Hallam attempts to blackmail Alasdair with the knowledge of his [adultery](/source/adultery), but Alasdair [sacks](/source/Dismissal_(employment)) him. Hallam retaliates by finding Alasdair's wife and child and thereby demonstrating the ability, if he wishes, to inform her of the affair, which forces Alasdair to give him back his job. Hallam eventually works his way up to being a front-of-house porter at the hotel. On his eighteenth birthday, Kate invites Hallam to have a few [drinks](/source/Alcoholic_beverage) after work. Whilst [drunk](/source/drunk), Hallam reveals his continuing love for his late mother. This seems to fascinate Kate, as she "likes creepy guys". A complex relationship starts to build between Hallam and Kate from this point. Kate first invites him home with her that night, and when she attempts to seduce him, he begins to get uncomfortable and instead they sleep in the same bed. The next day, he asks her on a date and she rejects him. Later, she asks him to one of the hotel rooms and they have sex. When Hallam is watching Kate, Alasdair confronts her and begins to act violently. Hallam comes through the skylight to save her, which results in her finding out that he had been spying. She tells Alasdair to leave. She punishes Hallam by making him stand nude and explain to her why he was spying. She feels bad for him after he tells her about his mother and she lets him stay. She puts on the dress that Hallam keeps that used to be his mother's. When Hallam sees her, he cries, and they fall asleep together. At this time, Hallam's father and stepmother track Hallam down because of his having reported his suspicions about his mother's death to the police in Edinburgh. Hallam's father has run up significant [debts](/source/debts) and needs to [develop](/source/Land_development) some of the land on the estate, but Hallam is entitled to consultation under his mother's [will](/source/Will_(law)). Hallam refuses to co-operate due to his suspicion of Verity. Hallam's hatred of Verity consumes him entirely, and he tries to drown her in the loch by his father's house. However, his humanity takes over and he revives her. Only at this point does his father reveal that he had made no attempt to prevent Hallam's mother from committing suicide. This revelation allows Hallam to realise that his anger is in fact with his mother for leaving him. This cathartic moment enables him to move on for the first time, and the film ends with him happy and content walking the streets of Edinburgh. ==Cast== {{div col}} * [Jamie Bell](/source/Jamie_Bell) as Hallam Foe * [Sophia Myles](/source/Sophia_Myles) as Kate Breck * [Ciarán Hinds](/source/Ciar%C3%A1n_Hinds) as Julius Foe * [Claire Forlani](/source/Claire_Forlani) as Verity Foe * [Jamie Sives](/source/Jamie_Sives) as Alasdair * [Maurice Roëves](/source/Maurice_Ro%C3%ABves) as Raymond * [Ewen Bremner](/source/Ewen_Bremner) as Andy * John Paul Lawler as Carl * Ruth Milne as Jenny * Lucy Holt as Lucy {{div col end}} ==Soundtrack== {{Infobox album | name = Hallam Foe: Original Soundtrack | type = soundtrack | artist = Various artists | cover = | alt = | released = 2007 | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = | length = | label = Domino | producer = | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = | next_year = }} {{Anchor|Score|Music|Soundtrack}} [Domino Records](/source/Domino_Recording_Company) provided the entire soundtrack with bands including [Franz Ferdinand](/source/Franz_Ferdinand_(band)) with their song "Hallam Foe Dandelion Blow" along with songs from [James Yorkston](/source/James_Yorkston), [u.n.p.o.c.](/source/U.N.P.O.C._(musician)), [King Creosote](/source/King_Creosote), [Sons and Daughters](/source/Sons_and_Daughters_(band)), [Four Tet](/source/Four_Tet), [Psapp](/source/Psapp), [Juana Molina](/source/Juana_Molina) and [Test Icicles](/source/Test_Icicles), amongst others. David Mackenzie stated at a Questions and Answers session at the Glasgow Film Theatre preview screening, that he had five songs in mind that he wanted to use in the film, but only one survived in the place he wanted it, that being "Here on My Own" by u.n.p.o.c.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010 }} ==Title sequence== The animated title sequence is by artist [David Shrigley](/source/David_Shrigley), who also does all the drawings and writing in Hallam's diaries. ==Reception== ===Critical response=== {{Anchor|Critics}} The film generally received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes) gives the film a rating of 72% based on 60 reviews, with the critical consensus "Carefully balanced between the dark and the dreamy, ''Mister Foe'' is a charged coming-of-age story with whimsy and bite."{{cite web |title = Mister Foe (2008) |url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hallam_foe/ |work = [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes) |publisher = [Fandango Media](/source/Fandango_Media) |accessdate = 18 July 2010 }} [Metacritic](/source/Metacritic), which assigns a [weighted average](/source/Weighted_mean) out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 62, based on 18 reviews.{{cite web |title = Mister Foe reviews |url = http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/misterfoe |work = [Metacritic](/source/Metacritic) |publisher = [CBS Interactive](/source/CBS_Interactive) |accessdate = 18 July 2010 |archive-date = 3 December 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081203113621/http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/misterfoe |url-status = dead }} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * {{official website|http://www.thefilmfactory.co.uk/hallamfoe/}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20101008074338/http://www.getyourpeople.com/hallamfoe/ ''Hallam Foe'' blog] run by Colin Kennedy, the film's second unit director * {{IMDb title|id=0466816|title=Hallam Foe}} {{David Mackenzie}} Category:2007 films Category:2007 in Scotland Category:2007 drama films Category:Films set in Scotland Category:Films shot in Edinburgh Category:Films directed by David Mackenzie (director) Category:Films shot in Glasgow Category:Films shot in the Scottish Borders Category:Scottish drama films Category:2007 English-language films Category:2007 British films Category:Buena Vista International films --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hallam Foe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallam_Foe) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallam_Foe?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.