So I checked out the profoundly weird and possibly outright misguided movie The Book of Henry over the weekend.
This flick is about a mom who can’t deal with the complexities of life so she relies on her 11 year old genius boy to help her manage. It’s a quirky family drama!
The boy, however, suspects that the girl next door is being abused (or molested) by her stepfather. He tries to convince the adults in his life to do something about it but they won’t or can’t because he’s the police commissioner. So it’s a hard-hitting movie about child abuse (and power dynamics).
Then the boy gets a brain tumor and winds up at the hospital. They can’t operate so he says his goodbyes to his little brother and his mom, getting her affairs in order. He dies in her arms, wanting to see the sky one last time. So it’s a heart-wrenching drama about death.
The mom can’t deal with the boy’s death but then finds his dying wishes in a notebook he left her. He wants her to buy a high-powered sniper rifle and assassinate the police commissioner during the school talent show. So it’s a… it’s an.. ummm… what is this?
This movie is super serious about its plot, even after the mom follows the orders of her 11 year old and buys a sniper rifle with an illegal suppressor. It doesn’t take any of this with any less gravitas than it paid the dying-in-the-hospital or scenes of abuse (thankfully not shown). It’s the kind of weird film that makes you wonder at what point did anyone writing it, producing it, or reading the script decide this was a good idea that people would take seriously.
Not that this weird story makes the film bad… and I was laughing at the movie in a kind of good way… if the film didn’t take that right turn, I wouldn’t have had as much fun with it. But I was having fun at the movie’s expense. Unless somehow that was the point and the storytelling was just too subtle for its own good.
I’ve heard a theory that the movie is a deconstruction of Spielberg style 80s flicks like ET or The Goonies. The kind of movie where the kids are smarter than the adults who won’t listen to them. This kid is the equivalent of The Goonies only his plan is to murder the abusive stepfather, not find the pirate treasure and save the town. If this is true, then the movie finds an interesting way to subvert the already subversive story (which I won’t spoil even though I’ve spoiled much of the rest of the the movie). If it’s not true, then the movie has a weird Hollywood ending that kind of fizzles, not fully committing to its craziness and pulling back last minute.
So, yeah, I’m not sure this movie is “for” anyone. It’s serious and sad which would make it appeal to people who like dramatic tear-jerkers. But if you just wanted a quriky indie drama, not expecting the abuse plot or, dear god, the dead kid story, then it’s just going to be a difficult sit. But the assassination left-turn might be a deal-breaker… or it might be a deal-saver.
Who knows? This movie is odd.
Score: 74