The Book of Henry

This was a brilliant movie that has a tight story, great actors and is well executed. Ok, maybe Naomi Watts is a little too old to play the mom but still.

The movie is about a child prodigy named Henry (aka Billy of IT) who while going to school, taking care of his younger brother Peter also manages to invest his single mother’s (Susan) meager earnings to reap huge dividends. He also manages to notice his neighbor Mr. Sickleman abusing his adopted daughter and actually complains to the student counselor about it. Unfortunately, with the Sickleman being a respected law enforcer, the counselor does not heed to his request.

In the mean time, Henry collapses to wake up in the hospital and is diagnosed with a tumour in his brain. He tries to hand over the family finances to his mom but in vain. He passes away a little while after that.

After his death, his mother discovers his journal in which he devices a foolproof plan to kill Mr. Sickleman. After believing that Mr. Sickleman is indeed harming the little girl, she follows his plan to finish off the predator neighbor. Meanwhile Henry’s younger brother tries to put up a show during the annual day function. On the day of the function, while Peter is trying to bring back Henry with a magical trick, Susan is about to pull the trigger when she realizes that Henry was just a child and decides to abort the plan. She then complains to the local child protective services who take her complaint seriously and arrest Mr. Sickleman.

More than anything, a child’s struggle to remain a child a little while longer is the key theme of this movie. While trying to fill the Family Head’s shoes, Henry takes responsibility too soon and when he runs out of time, you can clearly see his denial when he derides the doctor for sugar coating his diagnosis. The other sad part of this story is the mother also realizing the same by the end of the murder attempt journey. Anyway, a heavy watch to just unclog your emotions and cry your heart out. Definitely recommend it for a long weekend.