Ostensibly a sequel to the 1997 semi-serious black comedy "Henry Fool" (a "10" in my book), the first twenty minutes had me thinking it was just a horrible screen writing, bad-acting and terrible cinematography job. For one thing, the frame in every scene - and I mean EVERY scene - is "Dutch- (Deutsch)-tilted". There isn't a level shot in the entire movie.When I involuntarily started to guffaw, I realized that this was the intent. I restarted the DVD, and viewed it with entirely different eyes, ears and attitude. This film is a laugh-a-minute farce. Jeff Goldblum (not a player in the original Henry Fool cast) is a fabulous deadpan farceur contributing mightily to the general insouciance.Parker Posey displays a delightful and heretofore unknown penchant for comedy - comic timing, facial expression, and body-language - closely akin to Sandra Bullock's.Highly recommended!

Hal Hartley's Henry Fool was an independent film masterpiece and certainly his best work. It has immense character depth, subtle, complicated dialogue, and an excellent, emotional ending which captivates. I remember pausing it several times during my first viewing to absorb what I was seeing and feeling. Henry Fool was a complete movie from start to finish, and needed no sequel.Thus I was surprised when I heard about Fay Grim. Fay was not one of the main characters of the first film and seemed to exist more as the troubling imposition of real-world vanity and ignorance for her brother Simon to be forced to deal with as he matures. In her own movie, Fay matures herself, though her maturity takes a very different road. Simon went from near autistic isolation to a merely somewhat-introverted genius. Fay starts her adult journey as an immature, utterly normal, spoiled child and responds to the onslaught of ridiculous circumstances by becoming a mature, utterly normal, experienced adult who holds no advantages. She deals with problems the way any human does, with determination, a little thought, and weary disdain. While Simon learned to control his mind, Fay learns to control her emotion.The movie contains several fondly remembered elements of its prequel, but differs vastly in tone for most of the film. Henry fool showed you a harsh, boring, ignorant world which contrasted with Simon's inner passion and creativity. In Fay Grim, the world is a lively, crazy, emotional place which shows the silliness of her young life, and through contrast unearths the inner wise woman which had not been previously developed or nurtured by her similarly weak mother.The movie is in two parts, the first dealing with the beginning of Fay's struggle and subsequent hardening due to authoritarian hostility, and the second dealing with her battle to soften only just enough to regain Henry. At first, fans of Henry Fool may find themselves wondering how the movie can even be considered a sequel, and thinking it is profane to follow such an intense film with spy game antics and physical comedy. But this is where the subtlety of Fay Grim lies. The sequel is about Fay's journey, and as I said before, hers is one of finding the life-giving sanity in chaos, not the creative chaos in staid order. Parker Posey is an excellent actress who captures Hal Hartley's tongue in cheek humor perfectly. Elina Löwensohn perhaps eclipses her in emotional commitment to the role, allowing Parker to play both straight man and comic against the lively, stage-like comedy happening around her.With the entrance of Henry into the picture, the movie begins to take a sobering turn. Hal Hartley's movies are all plays, and every play must come full circle. By the end, you are shown Fay's newly developed character and integrity are the offspring of her time with the fatally intense Henry, whose piercing honesty and unique passion lights a spark in anyone he meets.Fay Grim is an excellent movie which does not surpass Henry Fool, but shows through Hal's range that the nuances of his art are the proof of his genius.Honestly, I think anyone who bashes this movie not only missed the point by a mile (and especially the subtlety in Parker Posey's acting), but could not have been much interested the movie Henry Fool.

When I was a teenager, I used to write all kind of absurd stories, "plays" and "novels" (usually very short: one-page-plays, half-a-page novels, etc.), combining in the most illogical way all kind of clichés, in an attempt to satirize and parodiate various subjects: snobbery, sugary romanticism, genre fiction, etc. A few of them were pretty funny - but the most were total failures (no fun, no wits, no sharpness at all).While watching this "Fay Grim", for 3/4 of the screening, I was 100% convinced this was what it was: a failed parody at the worst thrillers. The total lack of reason, the ridiculous dialogs, the scandalous falseness of the actors, the outrageously cacophonous use of the sound-track (including those irritating noises trying to pass for "music", that seemed never to end), the illiterate cinematography, the ungrammatical editing, the fight scenes at the same level with a toddlers' game at bang-bang-I-shot-ya! - and all the other idiocies on screen seemed to be deliberate attempts to sarcasm, only devoid of humor, intelligence and professionalism.Unfortunately, in the last part, I understood how wrong I had been: poor Hartley really took himself seriously! He imagined indeed he was making a movie (and a serious one, by that!).As such, he deserves to be told the truth: Hal, baby, this stuff and movie-making are two VERY DIFFICULT things! It's not a child's play, with a camera and some actors who pitied you too much to tell you how retarded you are, and accepted to let you shoot them out of charity (I still wonder how aware is Goldblum of the self-disrespect level he proved with this masquerade). I would teach you a thing of two about what "cinema" means, but I doubt you are able to follow more than half of the first phrase. As such, please take my word: "Fay Grim" is as much a movie, as a pee puddle in a back alley is the Pacific Ocean. The bad news is that it stinks worse. The good news is that it can be wiped away as easily: just pour a gas canister over all the film reels and light a match. It will make a lot of smoke, but soon it will be over - an the world will be a better place.

Parker Posey is a hottie.I guess.The Director dragged in Jeff Goldblum off the street for a little fake gravitas.Parker is a fine hottie actress and this film goes nowhere-fast.Trans-national multi-generational spy intrigue =a fine good film. Or not.This plot is pointless so I will not go on. Director Hal Hartley drags in a jihadi dirtbag for some "local color".Parker Posey has a "scene" with her vibrating cell-phone,in her crotch.There's fine movie-making.Parkie-You go girl.Your career is solid gold.No,really.We flat-landers really get impressed by that. Parker Posey is an indie actress. No, She really is. I really mean it this time.