Written and Directed by Hal Hartley
Cinematography by Michael Spiller

Thomas Jay Ryan as Henry Fool James Urbaniak as Simon Grim Parker Posey as Fay Maria Porter as Mary James Saito as Mr. Deng Kevin Corrigan as Warren Liam Aiken as Ned Miho Nikaido as Gnoc Deng Gene Ruffini as Officer Buñuel Nicholas Hope as Father Hawkes Diana Ruppe as Amy Veanne Cox as Laura

Running Time: 137 min.
Release Date: Jun. '98

Overall Call:
Hal Hartly delivers one of his best film to date. The story touches on several topics love, success, deception, family, etc. and all are left to the viewer to decipher. The acting is solid as well. Thomas Jay Ryan and James Urbaniak are both very good as the leads. While Parker Poesy turns in yet another full performance, further cementing her now annoying "indie girl" status. This movie is probably one of my favorites. It's a thinker I've seen a couple times now, each time becoming richer. The film can be very harsh and while there are only a couple of violent scenes they can be a bit brutal. There are other toilet humor/gross-out scenes that may not be for everyone but are right in line with the spirit of the film. This one isn't compromising for anyone. People have complained about the ending, well figure it out on your own. Others criticized the material as over the top. It's done in a very conscious manner that seems to add to the film not take away. It deals with what happens when a fake comes to grips with his shortcomings and an underachiever actually achieves. It gets a bit more involved than this but I leave that for you to wrestle with. If nothing else the film seems to consistently evoke an immediate response and that is much more than I can say for most movies these days. Next time your at a loss in the video store read the back of the box for a refresher and give Henry Fool a try, it's a true indie gem.

Reasons For Recommendation:
+ Smart story
+ Great acting by the two relatively unknown leads
+ Nice visual style
+ Great independent film