Henry & Verlin (1996)

Verlin is 9 years old and does not talk, nor does he even seem to hear. Henry, a child-like adult, befriends Verlin and pulls him from his shell. Verlin's mother mistrusts Henry, who she ... See full summary »

Director:

Gary Ledbetter

Writers:

Ken Ledbetter (short stories), Gary Ledbetter

Stars:

Gary Farmer, Keegan MacIntosh, Nancy Beatty

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Farmer	...	Henry
Keegan MacIntosh	...	Verlin
Nancy Beatty	...	Minnie
Robert Joy	...	Ferris
Joan Orenstein	...	Agnes
Eric Peterson	...	Lovejoy
Margot Kidder	...	Mabel
David Cronenberg	...	Doc Fisher
Wilfrid Bray	...	Elvin
Neil Dainard	...	Noel Winetree
J. Winston Carroll	...	Rev. Rutherford
Diana Belshaw	...	Judith
Norma Edwards	...	Lydia
Deborah Lobban	...	Matilda
Nadine Rabinovitch	...	Hilda

Storyline

Verlin is 9 years old and does not talk, nor does he even seem to hear. Henry, a child-like adult, befriends Verlin and pulls him from his shell. Verlin's mother mistrusts Henry, who she feels is dangerous. Eventually, Henry's family is convinced that he should be placed in an institution. Henry's sudden disappearance from Verlin's world drives him deeper into himself.

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Plot Keywords:

mute | independent film | character name in title | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Henry's Harmonica
Composed and played by Gary Farmer

User Reviews

I thought it was disturbing...and not in a good way.

Henry is a grown man who is mentally retarded. Verlin is a little boy who never speaks. Together, they are supposed to warm your hearts as you watch them frolic about as loving soulmates.

Henry has a nasty habit of kidnapping Verlin and carrying him around on his shoulders. He's not very responsible and also has the habit of inadvertently injuring Verlin. He knocks the kid to the ground and slams his head against things. It's all quite adorable. Henry is kind enough to show Verlin the joys of smoking (and strangely smoking is heavily promoted in this film). The boy doesn't enjoy his first cigarette very much and throws it into a pile of hay. This starts a fire and Henry tries to put it out by urinating on it. The fire continues to rage so he has an ingenious idea...he unzips Verlin's pants so he can urinate on the fire too. Ah yes, that's doubly adorable.

Henry introduces Verlin to his friend, the prostitute with the heart of gold. She would be a total movie cliché except that she is given a wooden leg. Of course, it breaks off to provide the viewer with a supposedly side-splitting moment of laughter. Soon enough, Henry and Verlin are sharing a bed together in their undies. A couple of women burst in on them and have the nerve to get upset! Ultimately, the adorable tyke and his dim-witted "special friend" fight the system in the hopes of running off together happily ever after.

I'm not sure who is supposed to be the target audience of this film. The pace of the movie is very slow and the subject matter has limited appeal. I truly thought when I purchased the DVD that it would be a touching story about people who are considered different from others and how they are often ignored or ridiculed by supposedly "normal" people. Instead, I got an uneasy story about a man and a boy's obsession with each other. 1/10

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 January 1997 (France)

Also Known As:

Eyes That Went Away

Filming Locations:

Greenwood Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Act of God Productions, The Original Motion Picture Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min 89 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color