Director: Mark Pellington
Production Company: Overture Films
Cast: Luke Wilson, Radha Mitchell, Adriana Barraza, George Lopez, Cheryl Hines, Rachel Seiferth, Morgan Lily
Rating: PG for thematic elements and some language
By Gregg Tubbs
“Those without faith sometimes need a little help,” advises one character in Henry Poole Is Here. If you’re Henry Poole, you may need a miracle—even when the presence of the divine is staring you right in the face. Seriocomic and parable-like, Henry Poole Is Here is not only a delight, but is also full of surprises—not the least of which is its endorsement of faith and the presence of the miraculous in our lives. Can a man who simply wants to disappear escape unforeseen fate, resist surprising love and ignore unexpected compassion? The answer is that life is full of surprises and reasons for hope.
I didn’t know what to expect from Henry Poole, but like I said, it’s full of delightful surprises. At first, it seemed like I had accidentally stepped into Leaving Las Vegas II. Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) just wants to be left alone to fade away. He’s mortally depressed (for reasons clear later), drinking heavily and holed up in a rundown Los Angeles house that he claims he “won’t be in long.” Yet, this is no tale of suicidal despair, but rather a celebration of the rebirth of hope and the tentative awakening of faith. How could Henry not believe when Jesus shows up at his house? Not Jesus himself, but his likeness in the water-stained stucco on the side of his house.
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Henry exasperated by the growing stream of believers, often led by Esperanza (Adriana Barazza), who congregate in his yard to gaze upon the holy image on his wall and pray for healing. Copyright © 2008 Overture Films.
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Sometimes
believing is seeing. What to the faithless Henry is just an ugly water stain from a botched stucco job is the miraculous image of our Lord to his devout and nosey neighbor, Esperanza (Adriana Barraza). Barraza, in a performance of laced with raw emotion and subtle dignity, proves her Oscar nomination for
Babble was no fluke. Despite his desperate attempts to isolate himself, Henry is drawn out of himself by Dawn (Radha Mitchell), the beautiful divorcée next door and her daughter Millie (Morgan Lily), who hasn't uttered a word since her father left. And he’s exasperated by the growing stream of believers, often led by Esperanza, who congregate in his yard to gaze upon the holy image on his wall and pray for healing. Soon even her pastor, Father Salazar (George Lopez), arrives to examine the apparition.
In a process alternatively comic and touching, Henry is slowly drawn back into life. Wilson excels as a forlorn everyman who doesn’t so much embrace the miracles and communal love around him as wrestle with them, railing at the pilgrims in his yard and against the care of his concerned neighbors. The product of a turbulent home, Henry seems unsure of how to respond to the kindness of strangers. “You don’t just go around helping people for no reason!” he screams at Esperanza.
But the harder he fights, the more his resistance breaks down. As is often the case, his heart finally begins to soften out of his concern for Millie, whom he sees as a kindred, wounded spirit. In caring for her, he begins to embrace life again and the possibility that there may be miraculous power in the image on his wall.
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Despite his desperate attempts to isolate himself, Henry (Luke Wilson) is drawn out of himself by Dawn (Radha Mitchell), the beautiful divorcée next door and her daughter Millie (Morgan Lily), who hasn't uttered a word since her father left. Copyright © 2008 Overture Films.
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Rarely do we see a mainstream film (“indie” as it is) that deals so openly and concretely with the concept of faith, depicting the different ways that people deal with a possible encounter with the divine. Henry is not the only skeptic. It’s intimidating, even frightening, for some to come face to face with the divine. Even Father Salazar is cautious, sensing the weight of having to confirm or dispel a miracle. The film also explores the relationship between miracles and faith. Do we perceive miracles because we have faith, or is faith the product of being touched by miracles? Do we believe in miraculous healing, or do we heal ourselves through the power of our own minds? And what role can we play in growing and nurturing the faith of others—particularly those lost in despair?
Henry Poole Is Here is a very personal film for director Mark Pellington, who suffered a devastating loss in his own life. How lucky we are that he chose to exorcise his grief by creating for us tender, life-affirming and faith-filled movie. Despite its limited release status, I was thrilled to see Henry Poole showing the other night at my local multiplex. Can a beautiful little film like this find an audience? I guess you’ve got to have faith.
Study Questions
- Have you ever known anyone who seemed determined to “disappear” like Henry Poole? What did you do? Did you feel you needed to help, like Esperanza?
- Henry, Esperanza and the girl from the market all responded differently to the mysterious face and its apparent miracles. How did they differ? Who are you most like?
- Are you an open accepter of faith, like Esperanza, or do you wrestle with it, like Henry?
- Do you think doubt and struggles are a natural part of the faith journey? Why or why not?
- Do you believe that miraculous apparitions like the face of Christ or Mary appear on everyday objects?
- Why did Millie record other people’s conversations? What might that symbolize? How did she find her own voice?
- Were you surprised when the image started to bleed? Have you ever witnessed a miracle?
- What is the relationship between miracles and faith? Does faith require visible evidence? (See Hebrews 11:1.) How does faith or belief affect how you see the world?
- Why do you think God asks us to rely on faith? Why are we not given more earthly evidence?
- Was Henry healed or was he never sick? Did Henry achieve a type of salvation? How did he change?
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