Foe (2023) Ending Explained – Why is Hen on a plane after dancing with Junior?

Foe Plot Summary

Helmed by Iain Reid of Lion fame, Foe stars Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal and Aaron Pierre and is a psychological thriller set amidst a sci-fi backdrop. The space exploration tech company, OuterMore sends Terrance to congratulate the young couple, Henrietta and Junior whose relationship is quite strained. With the Earth slowly becoming inhabitable, OuterMore is gradually sending people to space and Junior is one of them.

He will return in a year or so after the experiment, but during his absence, Hen will be kept company by a self-determining life form aka Junior’s AI. However, Terrance starts intruding into their life as he starts observing and testing Junior to create the perfect AI.

Strange happenings make us question what’s real and what is in Junior’s head. Once Terrance starts prodding thanks to the excuse of the ‘tests’, it all turns surreal. The ending leaves us with more questions than answers and we’ve taken it upon ourselves to figure out the ending as much as we can.


Why does Terrance mess with AI Junior?

Once it is revealed that the Junior we see at the beginning of the movie is the AI, the replacement, it changes how viewers perceive Terrance’s actions in Foe. He goes from being a supervisor who is getting Junior ready to go to space to his jailer.

He seems to be enjoying AI Junior’s spiralling and revealing his deepest fears, his dark unhinged side. He keeps pushing him to the brink and looks gleeful when the AI finds Terrance revealing their confidential interviews to Hen. 

That breaking point and the reveal show that the real Junior had already experienced it all, gone through the tests and left for space over a year ago. But the fact that AI Junior goes through a similar experience and acts human is what fascinates Terrance’s team. They study him and even after he is deactivated, take him back with them to use the findings to create better sentient life forms.


What is happening to Junior?

Initially, it seems that Terrance is messing with Junior in the guise of the tests. Junior thinks that the wristband that monitors his vitals and the surgery done by OuterMore are making him hallucinate. However, after he chases the OuterMore employees with a shotgun, someone hits him.

Something glows on the back of his neck and that is when viewers realise that something is wrong. While it is not explicitly explained, the hallucinations, violence and mood swings can be considered to be glitches as the Junior we’ve seen so far is actually an AI.


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Why does Hen seem indignant about Terrance’s tests on AI Junior?

When Terrance returns a year later and explains that it is time to send Junior to space, Hen is furious. In hindsight, Terrance’s words mean that the AI partnership is coming to an end and AI Junior is set to be deactivated as Human Junior is coming back home.

Having fallen in love with AI Junior and realising that he doesn’t have the worst aspects of the real Junior, Hen is understandably upset. She sees AI Junior as an individual and is constantly worried for him when Terrance pushes him during their tests.


What is the difference between AI and Human Junior?

At first glance, both act similar but Human Junior is way more toxic and possessive. Since AI Junior is based on him, he does have his flaws like his insecurity, jealousy and possessiveness. But he is all the best parts of Junior, which means he tries to control his dark side, doing everything to make Hen happy.

While Human Junior cannot stand Hen playing the piano or enjoying nature, AI Junior joins her. When he goes into a rage, Hen calms him down but Human Junior just lashes out at her.

AI Junior thinks something is going on between Hen and Terrance but lets it go when she assures him there isn’t. However, Human Junior cannot understand it and blames her for having an affair with the AI version of him even when she explains it was like falling in love with him all over again. To sum up, AI Junior has the personality of a younger and happier Junior when he first met Hen.


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Why does Hen leave on a plane after dancing with Junior?

The ending is quite complicated and subtle but a closer watch explains it all. Now that Human Junior is home, their marriage is back in shambles. He blames Hen for having an affair, doesn’t understand why she is upset over an AI and sees her actions as betrayal. He sulks the whole time he is back and lashes out at her. Even when she tries to lighten the mood by enjoying the rain, he is grumpy and sullen.  

He goes back to his usual mindset that what is good for him is good for her. Since his family sacrificed themselves for the farm, he and Hen should do the same. He decides for her that there is nothing out in the world for her. This upsets her and she takes her anger out on the piano. 

Having enough of his tantrums and possessiveness, Hen simply decides to leave. The empty letter she leaves is a callback to her conversation with Terrance. It says nothing and everything as she has nothing more to say. The last shot that we see of her in the plane is the real, human Henrietta.

The suddenly happy Hen who shows up at dinner while Junior is crying is her replacement, her AI. He is happy that she is back or at least some form of her is and they enjoy their time together dancing and drinking.

Read More: Foe Movie Review


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