I have finally seen Hallam Foe!!! I was not disappointed! I’m not sure whether I’ll ever go to an evening screening on my own again. I don’t mind going alone at the less popular times, but I felt weird going alone when all the others were their with friends. Except for some middle-aged men - who obviously sat on both sides of my seat… I can’t believe this was the first time I saw Sophia Myles on the big screen - even though I’ve seen all her other projects - except Prince & Pauper, Heartbeat guest appearance and a small film made for Channel 4’s Dogma TV - on DVD.
This is without a doubt Sophia’s best work to date. Obviously I’m biased, but still. The role gives her the opportunity to really shine, to show the world what a versatile actress she is. Sophia Myles looks absolutely beautiful and ethereal but conveys the various aspects of Kate’s sometimes flawed character perfectly. Sometimes it’s just in the tone of her voice, in the way she pauses between two words or in a glance. Kate could easily have become a one-dimensional character but Sophia brings her to life and makes her a normal and most of all real person.
I love director David Mackenzie’s quote about her:
I hope that this film will help to change people’s perception of Sophia. She has a real movie-star face, like Ingrid Bergman. She’s a throwback to that Forties glamour, but she’s grittier and more approachable than a Hitchcock blonde ice-queen. I think people have mistakenly typecast her as a posh bird in the past, but this film should go some way toward demolishing that impression.
Here my comment I’ve come up with for my site on the film in general: What could have easily become a very dark and depressing film turns out to be really entertaining, heart-warming and funny even. I think the term ‘gothic-lite’ that one review used describes the film’s atmosphere very well. It is credit to Jamie Bell’s performance that we come to love Hallam with all his oddities and feel with him. He also has great chemistry with Sophia and I felt the relationship between an older woman and younger guy was portrayed very well. All the characters feel real and although there is plenty of drama in the film there are many moments that simply evoked a grin or even a laughter from me. For example, how Jamie as Hallam stops Alisdair from revealing his secrets is priceless. Additionally, the use of music and visual elements was used really well to create cineastic art. It also made me want to visit Edinburgh, the city is a character of its own and the skyline is featured throughout the film. And I think the ending tied the film up nicely – without becoming a traditional happy end, though. I am glad I was able to catch it on the big screen – where I’m sure it looks best – and recommend that everyone watches it. This is a film not to miss.
Oh, and isn’t the post’s title a great quote? It’s one of Sophia’s character’s lines in the film.
It’s a shame I don’t live in Zurich itself… Who knows how many years I’ll have to wait to finally see this now…