Felicia's Journey (1999)

88% of critics liked it
(41 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(3,271 ratings)

Directed by Atom Egoyan, Felicia's Journey is a low-key psychological thriller about the relationship between a lovesick young woman and an older man with an ugly secret. Felicia (Elaine Cassidy) has lived all of her life in a small village in rural Ireland. She has fallen in love with a boy named… More Directed by Atom Egoyan, Felicia's Journey is a low-key psychological thriller about the relationship between a lovesick young woman and an older man with an ugly secret. Felicia (Elaine Cassidy) has lived all of her life in a small village in rural Ireland. She has fallen in love with a boy named Johnny (Peter McDonald), so when Johnny unexpectedly travels to England in search of a job, Felicia wants to follow him -- especially since she's pregnant, a fact that she's keeping secret from her family, as well as Johnny. However, Johnny's family refuses to give her his address, so she leaves for Birmingham with only a sketchy idea of his whereabouts. Shortly after arriving, Felicia encounters Joseph Ambrose Hilditch (Bob Hoskins), the meticulous manager of a catering concern. She needs a place to stay and he recommends a good bed-and-breakfast. They soon become friendly, but Hilditch is more than just a mildly eccentric middle-aged man with a taste for French cuisine: he's had a long history of using and abusing homeless women, and Felicia looks like she's doomed to be the next victim. Based on a novel by William Trevor, Felicia's Journey was shown in competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 56 min.
Directed By: Atom Egoyan
Written By: Atom Egoyan
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Nov 12, 1999 Limited
On DVD: May 16, 2000
Studio: Artisan Pictures

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, Variety
Likeluy divide critics and viewers, this is a simpler and less layered film than other works from Egoyan, who seems unable to infuse the pyschological thriller with his characteristic humor and irony.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
It took awhile to sink in, but I liked Felicia's Journey very much.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
Every time we think we know what's going to happen, the story spins off in a curious new direction...
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...evil may lurk in the most innocuous surroundings, that just under the placid surface of every community lies the face of horror.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Brian R

Creepy and fascinating especially the Bob Hoskins character. He is a lonely man who is a professinal cook and a serial killer. There is also the Elaine Cassidy character who found out that she is preganant and goes to Ireland to find her bf (who left to go find work) got her pregnant.… More
Creepy and fascinating especially the Bob Hoskins character. He is a lonely man who is a professinal cook and a serial killer. There is also the Elaine Cassidy character who found out that she is preganant and goes to Ireland to find her bf (who left to go find work) got her pregnant. Hilditch(Hoskins) and Felicia(Cassidy) meet where thesese two are seen as isolated, alienated charcter dealing with loss, grief, guilt, and despair. The last scene of the film felt a bit disappointing with a religious woman preching to Hilditch about Jesus just when he is about to burry Felicia by the front lawn. The emotion left from inside my body really quick but Egoyan's film never bores. After Egoyan's "Exotica", and "The Sweet Hereafter", "Felicia's Journey" sadly doesn't get the masterpiece ranking that it truly deserves.