Felicia's Journey

Released 1999
Stars Bob Hoskins, Elaine Cassidy, Arsinée Khanjian, Peter McDonald, Gerard McSorley, Brid Brennan, Claire Benedict, Danny Turner
Directed by Atom Egoyan

Felicia's Journey concentrates on two characters, and, in Atom Egoyan's inimitable way, he deftly switches between them, choosing transition points that italicize their similarities and differences while never causing the narrative to lose momentum. The first person we meet is Joe Hilditch (Bob Hoskins), who is introduced at the end of the opening credits. Hilditch is an old-fashioned man. His house is filled with things of the past: rotary phones, antique appliances, and a small, black-and-white TV on which he watches videotapes of a cooking show hosted by his mother (Arsinee Khanjian) more than 40 years ago. At first, Hilditch, who is well-liked by his co-workers at a factory where he holds the title of "catering manager," appears to be a well adjusted (if somewhat sad), middle aged man. But, as the story progresses, Egoyan peels back the onion-like layers of his personality to reveal something ominous, and perhaps even monstrous.

Meanwhile, the title character (Eileen Cassidy), a teenager from Ireland, has arrived in England searching for her boyfriend. She comes from a Catholic, Republican family and has been disowned for literally sleeping with the enemy. But she's a stranger with nothing more than a vague sense of geography to go on until she meets Hilditch, who offers her aid and advice. Soon, he has agreed to help her find her beloved Johnny, but we begin to suspect his motives, especially when we realize he has been videotaping his interaction with Felicia, and this isn't the first time he has offered a kind, sympathetic ear to a lonely, young girl.

Summary by James Berardinelli