Synopsis

A strange drifter named Henry Fool moves into the basement of a troubled Queens family and takes an interest in Simon Grim, a shy garbage collector with little confidence or direction. Encouraged to write, Simon produces an unexpectedly powerful poem that brings him literary fame. As Simon's fortunes rise, Henry's influence grows increasingly complicated, forcing both men to confront loyalty, ambition, guilt, and the cost of artistic success.

Factoids & Trivia

• The screenplay won the Best Screenplay award at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

• The story was developed over many years. Its ideas were shaped by literary and mythological models including the relationship between James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, Goethe's Faust, and the figure of Kaspar Hauser.

• The film was conceived as an "intimate epic": a personal story set against contemporary concerns such as the political shift in Congress and debates about censorship on the early Internet.

• Production was delayed several times by financing problems. The film was made on an independent budget of approximately $900,000, with principal photography lasting only about three or four weeks.

• The character of Henry was partly designed as a Mephistophelean figure whose influence is powerful even when his intelligence, honesty, and literary talent remain open to question.

• The film later became the first entry in a loose trilogy. Fay Grim followed in 2006, and Ned Rifle completed the story in 2014.