When I tell people that I write movie reviews from a Catholic perspective, those who are Christian-minded often ask if I have seen fill-in-the-blank film.  The recommendations usually involve some obscure title that is Faith-filled but has only been viewed by a select few.  My typical answer is no.  I have looked at a lot of movies.  Indeed, one can nearly count them by the number of reviews I have written.  However, I try, with some exceptions, to concentrate on bigger productions with The Legionnaire.  My hope is to show how more familiar movies can point the way to God (or not), that my readers will thereby be strengthened in their own faith journey, and they come to know God in a deeper way.  Today’s film, Henry Poole Is Here (2008), is not one of those small productions, especially given the cast, but it is still one of which you are probably unaware.  It is a blessing to do something that those same recommenders would like me to do more of and discuss with you those little film with lots of heart.

On the other hand, the eponymous character (Luke Wilson) in Henry Poole Is Here is disheartened by the fact that he has been diagnosed with a terminal disease.  This is not revealed until later, but it is evident from the beginning that something is wrong.  He is moving to the neighborhood in which he grew up in order to die.  His first choice is his boyhood house, but the current occupants are not interested in selling.  Instead, he takes up residence down the street, paying the asking price without negotiation despite his realtor, Meg Wyatt (Cheryl Hines), suggesting that he could get it for less.  Henry’s cryptic answer is that he does not plan on being their long.  Everyone assumes that he plans to renovate and re-sell.  Instead, he moves in the basic amount of furniture, buys microwavable food and lots of alcohol, and does nothing.  In short, he is waiting to die.  The first person to show interest in him is Esperanza Martinez (Adriana Barraza), one of his neighbors.  Because this movie is what it is, it should be pointed out that her name means “hope” in Spanish.  She is concerned with what happens in the house because, though she is getting on in years, she had dated the previous occupant.  As she reveals during their first meeting, she had found him dead in his kitchen.  Hence, she later checks on the unwell looking Henry, but in going through the backyard, she suddenly stops.  Once he is able to engage her again in conversation, she points to a stain on the wall and asks if he can see the face.  When he annoyingly remarks that he cannot, she claims that Jesus’ visage is in the stucco.  Now angry, he asks her to leave.  However, before this happens, Father Salazar (George Lopez) appears.  Seeing what is going on, Henry redoubles his efforts to get them out of his backyard, particularly when Father Salazar does not immediately agree that an image of the Son of God has appeared.  What Father Salazar does notice is that something is off about Henry.  Father Salazar tries to engage Henry in conversation, but the homeowner remains tightlipped.  After everyone is finally gone, Henry hears a recording of the conversation he had with Father Salazar.  Having experienced this already, Henry knows this is little Millie Stupek (Morgan Lily), the mute daughter of Dawn Stupek (Radha Mitchell), his other neighbors.  Millie carries with her a tape recorder, preserving random discussions she hears, something she has been doing since her father left a year previously.  Henry learns all this after returning Millie’s toy.  Later he is awakened in the middle of the night by Dawn frantically searching for Millie.  The girl is found in Henry’s backyard staring at the image on the wall, touching it.  Upon doing so, she begins talking.  This is not the only seemingly miraculous occurrence.  The overly curious checkout girl at the local grocery store, Patience (Rachel Seiferth), comes to Henry’s home to also touch the wall.  After doing so, she can be heard sobbing, now able to see without the thick glasses without which the world is blurry to her.  All this is troubling for Henry, who just wants to be left alone.  However, Esperanza continues to be friendly to him despite his cruelty.  It is she that realizes he had wanted to purchase the other house, so she arranges for him to take a tour of the inside.  In return, he agrees to let Father Salazar and other Church officials to do some testing on his wall to make sure it is not something he is doing, particularly after he had tried to wash it away.  One thing the Church is keenly interested in are the tears of blood that issue from the image’s eyes.  Henry’s opening up to these people draws him closer to Dawn, and he eventually haltingly asks her to have dinner with him.  It is simple, happening in his backyard, but it goes well until Millie appears complaining that she cannot sleep.  Once Dawn returns from getting her daughter back to bed, Henry claims getting involved in a relationship is not a good idea, citing the fact that he is going to die.  Such is his anguish over this development that he almost touches Jesus’ face.  His words are recorded by Millie, and the next morning she is back to not speaking.  Henry helps take mother and daughter to the doctor.  Upon returning, there is a crowd of people at his house, being drawn there by the hopeful results of the Church’s tests, especially as it relates to the blood.  Having had enough, Henry gets a sledge hammer and, while shouting that hope does nothing for people, bashes in the wall.  Doing so causes the corner of the structure to collapse on him.  He wakes up in the hospital, confused as to why Esperanza is there waiting with him.  Her answer is not only friendly concern, but she also has good news: he is no longer dying.  The last scene is of him in front of his house with Dawn, not saying that he has witnessed miracles, but happy to be alive.

And I am happy that I watched Henry Poole Is Here.  There are so many directions I could take this portion of my review, but I will focus on only a few.  One of the more important moments to highlight is Father Salazar’s initial reaction to the image.  A common misconception is that the Church immediately accedes to these kinds of appearances.  His initial skepticism is more in line with what the Church does.  It is the same for declaring someone a saint.  The Church does not discourage people from believing in miracles, no matter their scale, if they lead someone closer to God.  However, to have the official seal of Catholicism, there is some rigorous scrutiny involved, which can be seen in the testing.  For example, while Pope Francis was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, a consecrated host, more commonly known as a Communion wafer, was found in a place it did not belong.  When a Catholic finds such a thing, they are not supposed to just throw it in the garbage.  Instead, it undergoes a process of dissolution in water.  In the case of this piece, it turned into human tissue, and was later identified as having come from a human heart.  With this last identification, it was not done by some religious fanatic making excuses for what occurred, but by a medical doctor.  It is the sort of verification the Universal Church looks for when encountering the Divine.  Unfortunately, nothing seems to work with Henry.  Like the Heart of Jesus found in the host, Henry is wounded by the knowledge that he will soon die.  He does not think it is fair, and he is without hope.  Furthermore, he thinks it cruel and unusual that others would have any, which is what motivates him to destroy the image.  What I would go back to is the moment when he almost reaches out to touch the side of his house.  It reminded me of Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48, where we read of the hemorrhaging woman who longs to just touch Jesus.  Her belief is that by simply coming into contact with His garments, the flowing sores that afflicted her for so many years would disappear.  It happens as she hopes, and Jesus tells her on parting that her faith has saved her.  Henry does not experience this because, as Patience points out to him, he chooses not to believe.  Ultimately, this is the movie’s main theme.  We can opt for a life without Faith, but it is so much better with it.

I choose to believe that your life will be better for watching Henry Poole Is Here.  It could be just me, though, as I have personal experience of this sort of thing happening.  In Clearwater, not too far from where I live, the image of Mary appeared on the side of a building.  Like Henry, many chose to ignore what their eyes were telling them, seeing it as a random fluke.  There were also attempts to remove the image by washing, but it remained.  Finally, some angry, broken person smashed the window on which Our Lady appeared.  The point of such moments is to increase belief, and I pray this will happen for you if you watch this film.