“The Book of Henry”
By Stan Epstein
This movie may not be around much longer. But if it comes to your TV, here’s my take (to borrow a phrase from Fareed):
This was a most unusually interesting movie and worthy of your time, a most precious commodity.
The time is now; the place is Calvary, New York. and it was filmed in Westchester County in New York. Calvary is a small town and everybody knows everybody else’s business, more or less. The three primary protagonists are:
Henry, age 12, a techy genius with an immeasurably high I.Q. Henry is the type of genius that knows and can anticipate your every move, even before you make it. We learn of Henry’s genius characteristic very early on in a scene that takes place in Henry’s High School class. Everybody in Calvary knows Henry or knows about him.
There is Henry’s brother, Peter, age about 9 or so; and
There is Henry and Peter’s mom, Susan. Susan is a nice lady who loves and takes very good care of her kids and they love her just as much. She has, however, become very intellectually dependent on Henry for both financial care and information. Susan is intelligent and probably works below her intellectual capacity as a waitress in one of the local coffee shops.
Henry not only invents and builds things that most of us would not be capable of including a house in the woods on stilts that resembles a very complex tree house and it is made of a bunch of flotsam and jetsam that people have thrown away. Henry reviews, and is intimately aware of, all of the household finances and financial statements that are periodically received from all institutions that are the repositories of the family assets.
When you see the first 20 minutes of this movie you form the opinion that this is going to be one of those family type stories like “Father Knows Best”. Since Susan is a widow, it would be along the lines of “Mother Knows Best” or something similar. But wait. There are some ominous surprises in store.
Henry’s next door neighbor is a pretty 15 year old girl classmate of Henry’s who lives with her stepfather. We can assume that her mother is deceased since she’s not around anywhere. The stepfather is also the police commissioner. Henry, in addition to the fact that he is a genius, is very observant about the people and things around him. He becomes concerned about the fact his pretty next door neighbor is always depressed.
Because of the proximity of their two houses and with the assistance of a pair of binoculars, Henry accurately comes to the conclusion that the stepfather is having his way with his pretty 15 year old stepdaughter. He anonymously attempts to notify the local child protection services. That is much too bureaucratic to provide any help. So he tells the high school principal and several other people that he feels should be able to do something to protect his pretty classmate from her lecherous stepfather. Because of the red tape involved with the child services and the reluctance of the other people to believe the truth of Henry’s observations or do anything about it, Henry decides to take matters into his own hands.
So, he figures out a highly complicated and detailed plan that will ultimate result in Henry’s killing the stepfather. Included in this plan is an alibi for him and an untraceable weapon, a high powered telescopic rifle. Henry does not yet own the rife but he has been watching one of the gun stores and, included within his plan, is how to get one.
Well, by this time, you’re getting the picture that this isn’t going to be an innocuous “Mother Knows Best” type family movie. Henry’s plan along with all of the other stuff he has ingeniously designed and built over the years is written into his red notebook. Ergo the movie’s title.
Before Henry can implement his plan to get rid of the step father abuser of his high school classmate, he has a seizure similar to an Epileptic seizure. He is rushed to the local emergency ward and undergoes brain surgery with the local neurosurgeon. After the surgery, the neurosurgeon meets with Henry and his mom in Henry’s hospital room. Bad news. The seizure was caused by a tumor. The surgery got most of it but it can’t get all of it and, it’s malignant.
The neurosurgeon is a nice looking guy and is suitable age wise and other wise to ultimately become the romantic interest for Henry’s mom.
Henry will not allow his terminal condition prevent getting justice for his pretty classmate. So he dictates on an audiotape very detailed instructions for his mother to follow. Shortly thereafter, Henry passes away. Mother Susan and brother Peter are grief stricken as is the whole town that knew Henry. If you’re so inclined, at this point in the film, you may need a few Kleenex tissues.
Henry, being the genius he is, has anticipated his mother’s every move when she is following Henry’s instructions on how to get rid of the child abusing stepfather. Henry’s mother follows his instructions and has included the alibi, getting the gun, setting up the specific location and inducing the stepfather to be there so that she can pull the trigger and get rid of the guy. But she can’t go through with it.
But don’t despair; the bad guy stepfather does not get away with his abuse. Henry’s mother and the good looking neurosurgeon connect and everybody lives happily ever after. Everybody except Henry, of course. But you kind of suspect that he may be resting more peacefully than he otherwise would be.
