The 2023 movie FOE, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime, stars two of Ireland’s best young actors, Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal. Unfortunately, the script for this sci-fi drama fails to deliver a story worthy of Ronan and Mescal’s talent.
Adapted from the novel by award-winning author Iain Reid (I’m Thinking of Ending Things), who co-wrote the script with director Garth Davis (Lion), the story takes place in the near future, when the earth is dying and humans are looking to colonize space. But that’s not really what this movie is about. Despite strong performances from the cast, the script meanders through a shapeless narrative, culminating in a plot twist you’ll probably see coming. Still, FOE manages to be confusing at times, too.
Don’t worry, because Decider is here to help. Read on for a complete breakdown of the FOE movie plot summary and the FOE movie ending explained.
The year is 2065, and the earth is dying. Prolonged droughts have dried up the land, and food and water are dwindling. Despite it all, married couple Hen (Ronan) and Junior (Mescal) have carved out a simple existence in a remote old farmhouse in the Midwest. Their marriage is troubled—when we first meet Hen, she is crying the shower. In a voiceover, Hen says, presumably of her husband, “He doesn’t really see me anymore. It’s as if he’s replaced me with someone else.”
That night, Junior wakes up to headlights shining on his face. The car that pulls into their driveway brings a visitor, Terrance (Aaron Pierre). Terrance works for the government’s space settlement program, OuterMore, and he’s here to let Junior know that he’s been shortlisted as a candidate for an outer space settlement. It quickly becomes clear this is not optional; Junior has been drafted. If selected, he won’t be gone forever, but he will be living on the settlement for several years. Terrance says the selection process will also take a year or so, and that Hen and Junior are expected to live life normally until then.
Hen is pulling away from Junior. One day, Junior tells Hen not to wear a specific shirt anymore—because, he says, she was wearing it the day they met, and he doesn’t want it to get worn out. Hen asks what else Junior remembers about the day they met, and Junior says they were happy. After this conversation, Hen sleeps with Junior again and their relationship seems to improve.
One year later, Terrance returns. Junior has officially been drafted to go to space. Terrance drops another bomb: While Junior is gone, he will be replaced by an AI robot that looks exactly like him, to keep his wife company. In order to build this robot, Terrence will live with Hen and Junior for a few weeks, conducting interviews and observing Junior. This will ensure the robot is accurate.
Hen seems strangely blase about Junior leaving, and begins cleaning the house. She discovers a beetle, which Junior is fascinated by. He addresses the beetle as “little guy” and wonders why it’s not moving. While on a walk alone, Junior sees men burning a burn, and runs toward the fire. He is tackled to the ground, and injures his shoulder. When he comes to, his shoulder has been treated by a doctor, according to Terrance. Junior starts talking to Hen about running away together.
Junior overhears Hen talking to Terrance. She says she has always dreamed of a life beyond this marriage, and that she fantasizes about running away, leaving Junior with nothing but a blank note.
You probably saw this one coming: The Junior we’ve known the entire film is not a human being. He’s the robot copy. The real Junior returns from his space mission, and confronts his robot self. Terrance explains to the robot that “the only way to test your full capacity and function was to experience the reversal face-to-face.” OK, sure. Terrance explains that the robot was brought there a year ago, and that the night Terrance’s headlights woke him was the night he was activated.
The robot is obviously upset, and screams for Hen. He insists his life is real. Hen is also upset, and screams at Terrance and the others in the room—people observing this experiment— that they are monsters going to hell. The robot and Hen exchange “I love you’s.” Hen begs Terrance not to shut down the robot, but she is dragged away. As he is powering off the robot, Terrance says he never thought Hen would fall in love with the AI. With his last words, the robot sobs, and promises Hen, “We’ll go somewhere else.”
The human Junior is upset with Hen for “cheating” on him with the robot. Hen insists that it wasn’t cheating, and that she re-fell in love with Junior via the robot. But this human Junior isn’t the same. He is cold and distant. He has no interest in running away or going anywhere with Hen. But then, a miracle: It begins to rain, ending the long drought.
Hen joyfully begins to dance in the rain, and tries to get Junior to join her. But he refuses. He snaps at her. Hen seems to realize in this moment that she will not get back the version of Junior she had with the robot. The next morning, Junior walks up to a blank note from Hen. Clearly, she has run away, just as she told Terrance she would.
Terrance pays a visit to the farmhouse after Hen leaves, but it’s not clear what he is there to do. Later that night, Junior waits in vain for his wife to come home… and, by some miracle, she does. Hen promises she is here to stay.
But is that really Hen? Nope! Just like the robot Junior was distracted by a bug, this version of Hen has the exact same reaction to a beetle in the sink. What does it mean? This Hen is a robot! The final shot of the film shows us that the real, human Hen is on a plane, while the robot who took her place is living with Junior. Terrance must have dropped off a new robot Hen when he was visiting their house. Now Hen the human will get to live out her dreams of exploring, while Junior the human will get to live out his dream of standing still… with a robot. Everybody lives happily ever after. Sort of.