In this semi-sequel to HENRY FOOL, indie veteran Hal Hartley returns with Parker Posey as the ex-wife of the now-deceased Henry. Trouble arises when an FBI agent shows up looking for some of Henry's old notebooks, which leads our reluctant heroine on a very strange adventure.

Droll, dry, and generally quite entertaining is how I'd describe FAY GRIM. You don't have to love Hartley's work and be very familiar with HENRY FOOL to "get" what's being offered in the follow-up ... but it sure wouldn't hurt. I know some movie geeks who look forward to the next Hartley film as if it's something from Spielberg or Lucas -- and for those film fans, this diverting little indie will definitely float your boat.

Fans will be happy to know that Hartley's trademark touches are all here: Contorted camera angles, clever dialog, long takes, a vaguely "rambling" demeanor, and some decidedly quick wit. The supporting cast (particularly Jeff Goldblum as an FBI man and James Urbaniak as Fay's (Nobel Prize-winning, ex-convict) brother) is quite strong throughout. Hell, it's just fun to hear Goldblum deliver his rapid-fire babble. Liam Aiken (as Fay's troubled son) is also very good.

Independent Film Queen Parker Posey is excellent here, creating a character who's both slyly amusing and endearingly realistic. (Humorously neurotic, too.) Although the plot ends up becoming way too convoluted for its own good, it's just fun enough to focus on Posey and enjoy the strange little ride.

The anamorphic widescreen transfer is perfectly fine, considering we're talking about an HD indie. A little grain here and there, but nothing too bad.

Audio comes in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English only), with optional subtitles in Spanish.

There's a 17-minute behind-the-scenes featurette that features on-set footage and some interview segments with Hartley, Posey, and a few others. Also included is a half-hour HD Net special in which Posey, Hartley, Goldblum, and several of the supporting actors participate in some junket-style interviews with film critic Robert Wilonksy. Both pieces should certainly be of interest to fans of the film.

Rounding out the disc are 90 seconds of deleted scenes and the original theatrical trailer.

A "normal Jane" nobody gets embroiled in a world of spies, terrorists, and aggravated FBI guys. Basically, the world of HENRY FOOL gets turned on its ear in this sequel, and I thought it was a pretty cool payoff.