History Film / TheBookOfHenry

* CellPhonesAreUseless: Despite some examples of retro tech, such as Henry using a Polaroid camera, the film is set in the modern day and characters are seen with cellphones. As consequence, it's never explained why Henry couldn't have simply recorded video of Frank abusing his child, which is witnessed by him and Susan repeatedly. This is likely an artifact of the screenplay being written over 20 years ago.

** Frank always commits his abuse of Christina in the same room, with the window open, while Henry or Christina are awake to see him do it, while never noticing them.

* LuredIntoATrap: At the climax, Frank hears an unusual whistling and exits his house to search for the source, leading him to a walkie-talkie in a tree in the woods [[spoiler:right in the range of Susan's sniper rifle and where his body can be easily dumped into the river. (Curiously, the distance is such that Frank could've just as easily heard Susan whistling from her perch, or her sniper rifle practice the day before.)]]
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Henry comes to conclude that [[spoiler:Frank is immune to any legal means of prosecution and the only way to save Christina is to kill her stepfather and have Susan adopt her.]]

** While witnessing Christina's ballerina dance, [[spoiler:the school principal comes to regret not listening to Henry and calls the cops on Frank.]]
** Susan has this realization [[spoiler:at the climax just before she would kill Frank. Upon seeing Henry's old baby photos, she comes to realize he was ultimately still a child.]]

* RapeDiscretionShot: We never directly see the nature of Christina's abuse (and it's never clarified whether it's physical or sexual), only Frank going to her room and Henry or Susan watching through the window looking horrified.
* SelfDisposingVillain: [[spoiler:When Frank discovers that Susan knows about his crimes, he calls his police, intending to order her arrest, but hears he's about to be under investigation from them. With cop cars surrounding his home, he kills himself.]]

* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: After Henry [[spoiler:dies from his brain tumor, he leaves a set of pre-recorded tapes and diary notes for his mother to listen to, with instructions on how to carry out Frank's assassination. They turn out to be ludicrously precise, to the point that they can predict when she took a wrong turn on the street or is hesitating over a task. Even his notebook is just as exact, with the next page always being the matching response to Susan's questions. Only once does any of his tapes ever guess wrong what she was about to do.]]
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Frank is the police commissioner, and thereby has too good standing for Christina and Henry's school principal to consider investigating. His brother also turns out to be in charge of the local child services, and the next county over doesn't even bother sending their child services worker at all when called.

Henry Carpenter (Jaeden Lieberher) is an eleven year-old [[ChildProdigy boy genius]], living with and managing the finances of his mother Susan (Creator/NaomiWatts) and his younger brother Peter (Jason Tremblay). Becoming suspicious of the next door neighbor Frank (Creator/DeanNorris), Henry discovers that his classmate Christina (Maddie Ziegler) is being abused by her stepfather. Impeded at every legal avenue, Henry hatches a plan to rescue Christina and punish his neighbor, but circumstances emerge to result in his inexperienced mother having to carry out the plot.

* LuredIntoATrap: At the climax, Frank hears a curious whistling and exits his house to search for the source, leading him to a walkie-talkie in a tree in the woods [[spoiler:right in the range of Susan's sniper rifle and where his body can be easily dumped into the river. (Curiously, the distance is such that Frank could've just as easily heard Susan whistling from her perch, or her sniper rifle practice the day before.)]]

Henry Carpenter (Jaeden Lieberher) is an eleven year-old [[ChildProdigy boy genius]], living with and managing the finances of his mother Susan (Creator/NaomiWatts) and his younger brother Peter (Jacon Tremblay). Becoming suspicious of the next door neighbor Frank (Creator/DeanNorris), Henry discovers that his classmate Christina (Maddie Ziegler) is being abused by her stepfather. Impeded at every legal avenue, Henry hatches a plan to rescue Christina and punish his neighbor, but circumstances emerge to result in his inexperienced mother having to carry out the plot.

Henry Carpenter (Jaeden Lieberher) is an eleven year-old [[ChildProdigy boy genius]], living with and managing the finances of his mother Susan (Creator/NaomiWatts) and his younger brother Peter (Jacon Tremblay). Becoming suspicious of the next door neighbor Frank (Creator/DeanNorris), Henry discovers that his classmate Christina (Maddie Ziegler) is being abused by her stepfather. Impeded at every legal avenue, Henry hatches a plan to rescue Christina and punish his neighbour, but circumstances emerge to result in his inexperienced mother having to carry out the plot.

Henry Carpenter (Jaeden Lieberher) is an eleven year-old [[ChildProdigy boy genius]], living with and managing the finances of his mother Susan (Creator/NaomiWatts) and his younger brother Peter (Jacon Tremblay). Becoming suspicious of the next door neighbor Frank (Creator/DeanNorris), Henry discovers that his classmate Christina (Maddie Ziegler) is being abused by her stepfather. Impeded at every legal avenue, Henry hatches a plan to rescue Christina and punish his neighbor, but circumstances emerge to result in his inexperienced mother having to carry out the plot.

* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: After Henry [[spoiler:dies from his brain tumor, he leaves a set of pre-recorded tapes and diary notes for his mother to listen to, with instructions on how to carry out Frank's assassination. They turn out to be lubriciously precise, to the point that they can predict when she took a wrong turn on the street or is hesitating over a task. Even his notebook is just as exact, with the next page always being the matching response to Susan's questions. Only once does any of his tapes ever guess wrong what she was about to do.]]

* BrotherSisterIncest: In a roundabout way. There is romantic undertones to Henry's interactions with Christina, [[spoiler:and his final act amounts to him causing her to be adopted by his family and take his place as a Carpenter sibling.]]

Henry Carpenter (Jaeden Lieberher) is an eleven year-old [[ChildProdigy boy genius]], living with and managing the finances of his mother Susan (Creator/NaomiWatts) and his younger brother Peter (Jacon Tremblay). Becoming suspicious of the next door neighbor Frank (Dean Norris), Henry discovers that his classmate Christina (Maddie Ziegler) is being abused by her stepfather. Impeded at every legal avenue, Henry hatches a plan to rescue Christina and punish his neighbor, but circumstances emerge to result in his inexperienced mother having to carry out the plot.

* {{Flatline}}: While at the hospital, Henry pulls off his heart rate so he can leave his bed and see out the window, causing a nurse to run over in a panic. [[spoiler:Curiously, this didn't happen at all when it's revealed that Henry snuck out the night before to record the tapes for his mom.]]

* PietaPlagarism: After crawling out of bed [[spoiler:trying to see the sun one last time, Henry dies in his mother's arms.]]

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Despite Henry and Susan repeatedly claiming they've seen bruises on Christina, her face or body never display any.

Henry Carpenter (Jaeden Lieberher) is an eleven year-old boy genius, living with and managing the finances of his mother Susan (Creator/NaomiWatts) and his younger brother Peter (Jacon Tremblay). Becoming suspicious of the next door neighbor Frank (Dean Norris), Henry discovers that his classmate Christina (Maddie Ziegler) is being abused by her stepfather. Impeded at every legal avenue, Henry hatches a plan to rescue Christina and punish his neighbor, but circumstances emerge to result in his inexperienced mother having to carry out the plot.

* GoryDiscretionShot: We never directly see the nature of Christina's abuse, only Frank going to her room and Henry or Susan watching through the window looking horrified.

Henry Carpenter (Jaeden Lieberher) is an eleven year-old boy genius, living with and managing the finances of his mother Susan (Naomi Watts) and his younger brother Peter (Jacon Tremblay). Becoming suspicious of the next door neighbor Frank (Dean Norris), Henry discovers that his classmate Christina (Maddie Ziegler) is being abused by her stepfather. Impeded at every legal avenue, Henry hatches a plan to rescue Christina and punish his neighbor, but circumstances emerge to result in his inexperienced mother having to carry out the plot.

* SelfDefeatingVillain: [[spoiler:When Frank discovers that Susan knows about his crimes, he calls his police, intending to order her arrest, but hears he's about to be under investigation from them. With cop cars surrounding his home, he kills himself.]]