Felicia's Journey (1999)

I watched this years ago when I rented two other Atom Egoyan films: Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter. Here we have a psychological thriller whose main purpose is not to frighten nor to over tax the adrenal glands.

An Irish teenage girl leaves her country to seek her boyfriend in England. She is terribly naïve and finds herself being preyed upon by a catering manager - not sexually, but for his need for companionship and desire to be needed. It is uncommon to find a film so rich with subtlety. The story slowly unfolds with flashbacks to Ireland and to a 1950's TV cooking show hosted by the caterer's mom.

Every aspect of the film production was quite impressive, from set location through to the design of the caterer's home to the writing. It is always inspiring to see excellence.

The film's ending is surreal. It carries the weight of a ripened fruit.

IMDB