Hal Hartley's Henry Fool Trilogy

You all thought Richard Linklater was so cool for making a movie about one family over 12 years with the same cast, but you should take a second look at Hal Hartley… He’s been telling the story of a single family for almost 20 years – over the course of three movies – and the members of this family are monumentally more dysfunctional than those boring losers in Boyhood.

HENRY FOOL (1997) dir Hal Hartley w/Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, Parker Posey, Liam Aiken [137 min; 35mm]

Henry Fool (Ryan) fresh out of prison and carrying his alleged opus, his Confessions, arrives in Queens one day to disrupt the doldrums of scrawny, meek garbage man Simon Grim (Urbaniak). Simon is inspired by Henry’s presence and blossoms into an acclaimed poet, while Henry turns his lascivious attentions to Simon’s sister, Fay.

FAY GRIM (2006) dir Hal Hartley w/Parker Posey, Jeff Goldblum, James Urbaniak, Thomas Jay Ryan, Liam Aiken [118 min; 35mm]

In FAY GRIM, Posey reprises her role as Fay Grim, Henry Fool’s former wife, as she is coerced by the CIA into trying to track down her supposedly deceased husband’s notebooks. The government claims that the notebooks contain information that could compromise national security but Fay has her own motives for finding them. Hartley’s sequel to HENRY FOOL is a loopy indie espionage thriller.

NED RIFLE (2014) dir Hal Hartley w/Liam Aiken, Aubrey Plaza, Parker Posey, Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, Martin Donovan, Karen Sillas, Bill Sage [85 min; DCP]

You all thought Richard Linklater was so cool for making a movie about one family over 12 years with the same cast, but you should take a second look at Hal Hartley… He’s been telling the story of a single family for almost 20 years – over the course of three movies – and the members of this family are monumentally more dysfunctional than those boring losers in Boyhood.

In NED RIFLE the conclusion of the trilogy that began with HENRY FOOL, the titular Ned (Aiken), the son of disgraced would-be-genius-novelist Henry Fool (Ryan) and imprisoned alleged-terrorist Fay Grim (Posey), emerges from witness protection with one aim in mind – to kill his father for ruining the life of his mother. His plans, however, are soon derailed – or at least detoured – by the presence of the beguiling Susan (Plaza), a young woman obsessed with Ned’s father for her own reasons.

For fans of Hal Hartley, NED RIFLE is a real treat – with a veritable who’s-who of Hartley faves including virtually every great character actor that has ever appeared in his films. The addition of the uber-dry Aubrey Plaza to the ensemble is a match made in cinematic heaven. With its bizarrely convoluted yet hilarious script, NED RIFLE reveals different pleasures for those just joining the Hartley bandwagon.

• 
  Sponsored

  WBUR Earth Week Events

  Tuesday, Apr 23, 2024 goes until 04/26

  WBUR CitySpace at The Lavine Broadcast Center
• 
  Sponsored

  Affordable Spanish Classes in Boston (in-person and online courses) | BASE

  Monday, May 06, 2024 goes until 05/25

  Boston Area Spanish Exchange (BASE)

Sesh by The Boston Calendar | Advertise Terms | Privacy Policy | About