Review of Henry Fool (1998) by Bruno C — 10 Jul 2008

A potent, often messy statement on experience vs. talent; ambition vs. ability. It plays out between two friends, one a victim of poor circumstances, the other a criminal, both unsure of exactly how they fit in the world.

A sharp, often cutting film, "Henry Fool" is a dark satire of delusion, both of one man's in general and the world's at large -- as well as a scathing indictment of the literary world and those who flock to newness as if difference itself were the prime decider of unheralded genius.

In fact, this film is so much at one time that it often falls short of matching its lofty goals, sometimes coming across in a manner that's as aggravatingly pretentious as some of its (intentionally flawed) characters.

Regardless, it winds up a mesmerizing, if frustrating film, an experimental, frank and cold black comedy where people receive the exact opposite of what they deserve...for the most part. When people are served just rewards, it usually comes at a painful cost to someone close to them.

You could call it cosmic compromise, but in a film this...uncompromising, it's probably better referred to as cruel irony.