Last night I watched the middle film in Hal Hartley's Henry Fool trilogy, Fay Grim. As one would expect from the title, this film focuses on Fay Grim, the sister to the famous/infamous poet Simon Grim and the wife of debauched Henry Fool. As it turns out, Henry's Confession, which was considered an absolute disaster in the first film, is not mere madness, but the actual story of his time as a globetrotting operative. Parker Poser as Fay is quite good, and Jeff Goldblum plays Agent Fulbright. Thomas Jay Ryan (Henry Fool), James Urbaniak (Simon Grim - I also discovered that he voiced Dr. Venture in the Venture Brothers, it is a small world), and Liam Aiken (Ned Grim/Rifle) return once more. Hartley regular Elina Lowensohn appears as Bebe. Again, I'm not a huge fan of the Henry Fool trilogy, and this one has too much jet-setting, but there are also some very inspired moments. I think it's one of his weakest efforts, but it's still Hal Hartley, and the world is a better place when Hartley is out making films (and I will doubtless financially support his next film as I have the last few). So, as with Henry Fool, take a look at Fay Grim, but start with one of his other films first, and then check out the trilogy.
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