The Book of Henry

First Hit: The story and acting was wonderful and deeply touching.

Susan Carpenter (Naomi Watts) is a single mother of two boys Henry (Jaden Lieberher) and Peter (Jacob Tremblay). Susan is a waitress at a small café and her co-worker and best friend is Shelia (Sarah Silverman). Together they are tackling life as it comes to them with an occasional glass of wine.

Early on we learn that Henry is an extraordinary boy. Smart, way beyond his years, he’s about things being fair. When his brother gets picked on by a bully at school, Henry is there. When he figures out that his neighbor and classmate Christina (Maddie Ziegler) is being sexually abused by her step-father Glenn Sickleman (Dean Norris) who happens to be the Police Commissioner in their town, he wants to do something about it.

Henry calls help lines and speaks to the school principal but she says that there isn’t anything to do because of Glenn’s connections and that Glenn is looked up to in the community. Henry is focused and incensed that nobody is helping his sweet neighbor.

Henry is the adult in this family and shows this because he's invested their money wisely and his mom has a growing nest egg. Also, while in a grocery store one day, the family sees a man mistreating a young woman and Henry wants to help her out, but Susan tells him it isn’t their business. He protests by saying apathy is the enemy of society.

Although Henry is a genius, he suffers from headaches and one day falls into a seizure. In the hospital, they learn he’s got a brain tumor and will soon die. He makes Peter promise to give their mom a red book and instructs his mom to quit her job, pay attention to their stocks and she and Peter will be financially okay.

The book contains detailed step by step instructions on how to save Christina from her step-father. At first Susan is reluctant, but after she witnesses Christina’s plight one night while looking out the window, she commits to making a difference.

I liked how this film developed the characters. It gave them each a way to express and represent their part in this touching story.

Watts was amazing as the mother of these two boys. Her ability to be smart, dependent and trusting was amazing. Lieberher was fantastic as Henry. He embodied the role of brilliance and his thoughtfulness even while passing on early in life. I was transfixed watching him. Tremblay was outstanding as the younger brother. Although not with Henry’s brilliance, he was extremely smart in a tenacious way. He was amazingly loveable. Silverman was perfect as the off the wall friend whose has a heart of gold. Ziegler was very good as the girl next door who had a horrible secret she was keeping. Norris was very strong in the unenviable role as the step-father. Gregg Hurwitz wrote a strong and insightful screenplay. Colin Trevorrow did a masterful job of creating a wonderful film to watch.

Overall:  This is a well thought out sensitive film.

Room

First Hit:  A dark dialogue rich film with outstanding acting that portrays the inside horror of being held captive.

Ma (Brie Larson) is living in a soundproof shed and is being held captive there by “Old Nick” (Sean Bridgers).

She’s been held there for 7 years and has a 5 year old boy, fathered by Nick, named Jack (Jacob Tremblay). He has lived his whole life in the “Room” with Ma who has done her best to raise Jack. He knows little of the outside world but after turning 5, Ma begins to tell him what the world is really like outside the Room.

Jack is upset and wants to believe the stories Ma had previously told him about outside the Room. As Ma becomes more determined to find a way get Jack out of the room she comes up with a risky plan to fake Jack's death.

The remaining part of the film is about their adjustments to the real world. The inquisitive press, Ma’s rejection by her father, and Jack’s struggle to engage with all that the world outside the Room offers. The questions by the press push Ma into a deep depression because they intimate that she kept Jack as a way to save herself by not thinking of Jack’s well-being.

This is complex film and the acting by Tremblay is amazing and superb. The filmmaker did a great job of creating a sense of wonder through Jack as he sees the world outside the room for the first time.

Larson is very, very strong and deserves a lot of credit for making this film work. Tremblay is sublime. His slow transition from captive boy with a limited view of the world to engaged boy with an understanding of the world around him is fantastic. His ability to say goodbye to the “Room” was extraordinary. Joan Allen (as Ma’s mother Nancy) was very good. Emma Donoghue wrote a very strong script that felt very realistic. Lenny Abrahamson did an excellent job of directing the actors and creating scenes that felt true – especially the scene where Jack escapes in front of the man with the dog – the confusion, fear and concern were perfectly executed.

Overall:  This is a dark film and afterward I couldn’t help but think about the captured and imprisoned women we’ve read about in the last few years.