Jesus Henry Christ

This is the story of Henry James Herman. Henry has an IQ of 310 (the second highest ever recorded) and remembers everything he has ever seen.

Before Henry was born, the family of his mother Patricia suffered several tragedies. First, on Patricia's 10th birthday her mother's dress catches fire and - as she is about to pat it out - Patricia's father Stan, in misguided effort to save his wife, throws the nearest liquid he can find on her. Unfortunately, it is alcohol.

Next, the twins Tim and Tom, now police officers, die in a ridiculous accident. James, the second youngest child, dies of AIDS shortly after Henry is born. The oldest, Billy, has left the US for Canada when Patricia was only 10 to dodge the draft.

Henry is born a test tube baby, something that he learns from his father Stan. When he is 10 he follows clues on Post It notes to find his biological father. This appears to be Dr. O'Hara, who has his own issues with his offspring. O'Hara published a book about his daughter Audrey, which made her her school's laughing stock. The girl, 12 at this point, is disgruntled and messed up and not necessarily happy to learn that she may have a younger brother.

O'Hara, Henry, Audrey and Patricia head to a clinic to take a paternity test. All of them. Audrey's mother left O'Hara for his oncologist, who talked O'Hara into donating sperm in the first place - as a security deposit. He suffered from testicular cancer at this point and chemotherapy may make it impossible for him to father more children. At the time he gets the news, his wife is very pregnant and greats the doctor in a way that suggests that the two are more than friends at this point already. Therefore, O'Hara is uncertain whether or not Audrey is his daughter.

Anyway, many complications and ridiculous situations spawn from this constellation. In the end, what is left of the family reunites at grandpa Stan's funeral and in the end it turns out that O'Hara is father to, both, Henry and Audrey.

Sweet and sentimental.

6/10

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

This film is a quasi biography loosely based on real-life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, who claimed to be responsible for some 600 murders (he wasn't).

Henry, who spend some time in prison for killing his mother, shares an apartment with Otis, also a former inmate. The story kicks off with Otis' sister Becky coming to stay when trying to get away from her husband.

Actually, the film starts with close ups of dead people, killed in different fashion ever time. The idea behind this is that the crimes are harder to connect if there is no clear modus operandi recognizable (Henry's words).

For a thriller/horror film it is relatively uneventful, with only very few killings on show. The ones we actually see involve Otis, who becomes Henry's sidekick after the two have two prostitutes in the car and one gets a little too loud for Henry's taste and he breaks her neck. Initially, Otis is shocked. He gets over it pretty quickly though and has no qualms about killing along with Henry.

The situation between the siblings is difficult, as they come out of a unloving family (including incest and all). When Henry one day walks in on Otis raping Becky, he kills and dismembers him and throws the remains off a bridge. Becky, convinced that Henry will take her to safety, doesn't make it much longer than her brother.

It is all very bleak and has a distinct 1980's feeling about it. Michael Rooker is great, though.

6/10

The Interrupters

This documentary shows a year in the streets of Chicago, among some of the desperate youths and the people trying to talk them down when they are about to erupt into violence.

The task the members of the CeaseFire initiative (aka Violence Interrupters) put upon themselves is a heroic one - and a constant uphill battle. Nearly all of them know what it is like to be in these young people's shoes and nearly all of them have done prison time, for crimes varying from hold ups to murder. So when they speak to the kids, they absolutely know what they are talking about. They get right into the middle of arguments that threaten to turn violent and possibly deadly and try to talk sense into everyone involved.

But that is not where the job ends.

They help out and speak at vigils and funerals, using all platforms to transport there message of non violence, telling potential killers to be the bigger person and walk away. The group is respected in the community and kids will listen to them at times. They get in touch with families of murdered youths to mourn with them or provide a shoulder to cry on. They assist with community projects that provide healthy environments for children and are simply there when someone needs to talk.

Such bravery and dedication.

The film was directed by Steve James, who also made the lauded Hoop Dreams, that many people believe was robbed of a best documentary Oscar. This strong piece of film making wasn't even nominated, which raised a lot of eyebrows.

I watched this with a lump in my throat throughout. It ends with a Solomon Burke song, very fittingly called 'Don't Give Up On Me'.

9/10