Gilbert Films
A Los Angeles-based production company dedicated to producing and financing independent and studio films.
Recent News
Director: Marc Pellington
Writer(s): Albert Torres
Cast: Luke Wilson, Radha Mitchell, Adriana Barraza, George Lopez, and Cheryl Hines
Henry Poole Is Here
07.20.2010Luke Wilson, Academy Award® nominee Adriana Barraza and Radha Mitchell star in a contemporary fable about the unexpected wonders of the everyday from filmmaker Mark Pellington (U2 3D, The Mothman Prophesies). Henry Poole is Here tells the funny, poignant and uplifting story of a disillusioned man who attempts to hide from life in a rundown suburban tract home only to discover he cannot escape the forces of hope.
His life turned upside down by circumstances beyond his control, Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) returns to the middle-class Los Angeles neighborhood where he grew up hoping for some peace and solitude. Through a perky realtor (Cheryl Hines), he quickly makes a full price offer on a cookie-cutter house and settles in with a case of vodka and all the Krispy Kremes he can eat.
But Henry’s solo retreat is disrupted by a trio of female neighbors: a well-meaning busybody named Esperanza (Adriana Barraza), who drops by with a plate of homemade tamales and a whole lot of questions; solemn eight-year-old Millie (Morgan Lily), who hasn’t spoken a word in the years since her parents’ break-up, but who surreptitiously records neighborhood chatter and plays it back—often at the most inopportune moments—and her mother, Dawn (Radha Mitchell), the beautiful young divorcée next door who sparks unexpected tenderness in Henry.
When Esperanza discovers a stain on Henry’s stucco wall that appears to have miraculous powers, the irrepressible optimist begins leading pilgrimages to the “holy site” and invites church officials, including her pastor, Father Salazar (George Lopez), to inspect the apparition. Inspired by her conviction, the faithful who gather there begin to report inexplicable events, which they attribute to the wondrous power of the wall.
As the miracle-seeking crowd in his backyard grows and his silent friendship with Millie brings him closer to Dawn, a skeptical Henry is irresistibly drawn back into the world he has tried to leave behind. Gradually, he begins to observe the miracle of hope, and then experiences its healing power first hand.