Henry Fool (1997)

Henry Fool: Directed by Hal Hartley. With Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, Parker Posey, Maria Porter. An introverted garbageman writes his thoughts in a notebook after Henry Fool, writer and ex-con, rents the basement and gives him a notebook and the idea. He writes poetry and Henry helps him along.

“I rented and watched u0026quot;Henry Foolu0026quot; last night and spent much of this evening tracking down reviews of this extraordinary film. Iu0026#39;m surprised that none of them invoked Dickens, or at least John Irving.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThereu0026#39;s a constancy in Hartley films: beautiful photography, disciplined design, and (usually) extraordinarily attractive actors who mouth almost excruciatingly gassy dialogue in a deadpan style that seems to serve as ballast. u0026quot;Henry Foolu0026quot; is no different. But this film delves so deeply and sympathetically into the Big Issues — love, obligation, and most of all ART — that it delivers a wallop that reminds me of how I felt at the end of Irvingu0026#39;s u0026quot;Owen Meanyu0026quot;. And I mean that as a high compliment.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Henry Foolu0026quot; is imperfect, at moments even ridiculous, but you just might be changed by it. Not bad for a movie.”