External goodness can turn into internal evil. Felicia's Journey is a 1999 dramatic thriller by independent Canadian-born Armenian director Atom Egoyan. The film came two goals later, after the unhurried, highly social drama Glorious Future brought Egoyan first international fame, as well as two Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Despite the fact that these paintings were shot in different genres, Egoyan remained faithful to his author's handwriting, which is caused by the slow course of action, the lack of action and an extremely indicative expression of emotions. For Egoyan, it is important that the viewer begins to think about the characters of his characters, about their inner saturation, plus the actors of his films themselves must gradually, methodically and even academically reveal the nature of the image provided, so that each emotion shown was like a piece of a puzzle that the viewer will collect only in case of collection and analysis of what is happening on the screen.
It is in this appearance that we are given the picture “Felice’s Journey” – slow, thoughtful, but with a clear awareness that there is a place for some evil that is ready at any moment to break out of its lair and fall on the heroes of the film, subsequently sweeping away their souls, tearing them apart and coughing at the devouring of what will remain of the soul after. But before that, as attentive and sensitive viewers, we are offered to get acquainted with the main characters of Felicia’s Travels. The main character, as you understand her name is Felicia (Irish actress Elaine Cassidy), was born and lived in Ireland until she met a young English soldier at the age of seventeen. The result of dating is Felicia's pregnancy. She only has scraps of information about where the father of her unborn child went, and she wants to track him down to tell him. But neither Felicia's father nor the soldier's mother understands the young girl. She remains alone against the whole world and only a casual acquaintance, a cook in the dining room, imbued with her history and decides to help.
The chef's name is Joe Hildich and he says his wife is dying. His courtesy, kindness, desire to help disarm the girl and she accepts an outstretched hand of gratuitous assistance. But Felicia’s initial hopefulness gradually begins to crumble, but she does not want to notice that something is wrong here and this courteous gentleman hatches his own plans, which go apart from his pretended kindness. The role of Joe Hildich was given to Bob Hoskins, an English actor widely known for the films Who Framed Roger Rabbit by Robert Zemeckis and the fighting drama Danny Chain Dog. There is a slight digression: you can notice that Egoyan took the Irish role, and the Englishman played the Englishman. And Bob Hoskins in his character tried hard to show that not in every case, outward kindness can be such, it can hide a danger that in its horror will not yield to Nazi experiments in concentration camps. “Be vigilant!” as Hoskins says, playing his double hero.
Elaine Cassidy played a touching young girl (for which she received nominations for the “Gini” and “Satellite”), who has not yet realized the price she will have to pay for the passion she felt for the soldier who at the first opportunity escaped from her. But her trip was also a rash step, too reckless. With every minute she spent with Joe Heldich, she came closer and closer to the edge of the abyss and was on the verge of falling into it. Atom Egoyan before this carefully prepares the viewer to a sudden turn in the course of the plot was a complete surprise, but the lurking danger could be predicted subconsciously, so clears the platform music from Michael Danna - quiet, but causing internal anxiety. If Felicia had not been so naive, had she not seen in Joe the father she had always wanted, caring and able to listen, she would have run from him. She did this once, but Hedlich couldn't let her go. And before our eyes unfolds the terrible and tragic story of the meeting of two lost souls, which will forever change them.
The manner of staging films directed by Atom Egoyan, their slowness and mystery, not every viewer will like, here you must be ready that Egoyan consistently leads to the final of his paintings, which can become completely unexpected, unpredictable. I will say that this is the fifth film that I have seen from the director Atom Egoyan, and after his drama Remember (2015), it is Felicia’s Journey that occupies an honorable second place in the rating of personal sympathy for the films of the Armenian Canadian. But I will say that this film still lacks the depth of shock in the finale, but at the same time I note the expressive and multilayered play from Bob Hoskins.
7 out of 10