In this sequel to Henry Fool, Henry's wife, Fay (Posey), is enlisted to track down his mysterious notebooks in exchange for her brother Simon's freedom.

Fay Grim is a movie filled with answers, all of which miraculously ruin a movie made ten years ago. Its predecessor, Henry Fool, told the suspicious story of a troubled family in Queens and the curious stranger of the title who inspired and bedded them.

Henry was something of a mysterious presence in the 1997 film, which was foolishly awarded the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival. With Fay Grim, director/writer Hal Hartley has chosen to demystify the “legend” of the pseudo-Literatus, who as it turns out, has been shrouded not in the literary circle, but in global intrigue for quite some time.

Fay Grim allows us to play catch-up with a number of other characters we shouldn’t have found sympathy for in the first place. There’s Simon (Urbaniak), who’s been serving time for assisting Henry in fleeing the States; his publisher, Angus (Chuck Montgomery), who’s in more danger than we’d ever suspect; Ned (Liam Aiken), Henry’s son who frequented the pub at age seven; and of course, the title character, played by “Queen of the Indies,” Parker Posey. The most notable additions to the roster are a pair of CIA agents (Goldblum, Leo Fitzpatrick) who enlist Fay to track down Henry’s documents that contain terrorist plots and espionage secrets.

After watching both movies within a week’s span, it’s hard not to notice where Hartley has tweaked his technique, though certainly not always for the benefit of the work. Fool waded in a shallow pool of philosophy to provide clues to the story, where Grim takes an expository approach to the story, with too much weight on answers rather than clues. The Dutch tilt was utilized cleverly ten years ago to show the askew world of the Grim family (particular garbageman Simon), while it now serves more as interference than a metaphor. And intentional or not, the robotic acting remains--though there’s something strangely endearing about Posey’s campy performance.

There’s little to be admired in Hal Hartley’s quarter-hearted spy thriller without thrills. Though there are two ingredients we can be grateful for; 1) there’s only a hint of faux-intellectualism, and 2) it holds certain maturity. That means little of Henry Fool and none of the vomiting on bare asses and fierce defecation that we suffered through in 1997.

Video: Widescreen enhanced for 16x9 televisions.

Audio: English 5.1/2.0 Dolby Digital Surround; French 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround. Subtitles in English and French.

Both transfers are clear.

Making of…(16:39): Starting off the disc is your typical promotional piece (interviews, BTS footage, etc.), only with lesser production values.

Higher Definition: Fay Grim Episode (27:53): Robert Wilonsky sits down with Hartley, Posey, Ryan, and Goldblum for interviews that are much more constructive than those I reviewed on the Diggers DVD. A bit long for those who had a hard time with Fay Grim, but Hartley fans will find a nugget or two.

The Deleted Scenes (1:34) are quick and painless, with Posey’s flubbed prayer a highlight on the disc.

And the Trailer.

Though I wasn't a fan of Henry Fool, I was somehow eager to give Fay Grim a shot. Not so much because it looked promising, but because of my mega-crush on Parker Posey. Rent it for her and her alone.