Review of The Book of Henry (2017) by Dawdlingpoet — 25 Nov 2021

This was an interesting film - I liked seeing things from the childs perspective. Certainly at the start of the film there's no real clue as to the darker tone it'll take. It did feel like there were a few plots, or sub-plots, present in the one film and I did find myself a little unsure about when certain things had happened, which were clearly implied but then I admit I was a little distracted while watching it.

It felt, to me, like a somewhat/relatively original watch (not entirely original but somewhat original), given the form and viewpoint that its taken from. I enjoyed watching the brothers get along together and I thought the cast did well. I suppose I'd have liked to have seen a bit more in terms of what Henry saw the apparently suspicious neighbour doing. I couldn't not feel empathy towards Henry's mother, given the circumstances and I certainly felt frustrated at how she treated her sons suspicions at first. Its an interesting, somewhat thought provoking watch, not one suitable for young children given the themes, although it does appear to be a family film at first, with the children of the family seeming relatively innocent and childlike, except for the clearly mature intelligence of the titular character Henry but the tone becomes decidedly darker after a while. I'd recommend this film on the proviso that its an emotional and potentially upsetting watch at times, as it deals with abuse.