'These will appeal to those with a quirky sense of humour': Triskel season to show indie director's trilogy 

The American filmmaker Hal Hartley has long stood apart in contemporary cinema, with a voice that’s instantly recognisable.

He first made his mark in the late 1980s and early 1990s with The Unbelievable Truth and Trust. These witty, offbeat romantic comedies signalled the arrival of a major talent. Critics quickly embraced him as one of the leading lights of the American independent scene.

Triskel Cinema invites film fans to experience three of Hal Hartley’s films with its latest season, Hal Hartley’s Henry Fool Trilogy, beginning on April 6.

Chris O’Neill, head of cinema at Triskel, points out that one of his hallmarks is his offbeat characters.

“Hal Hartley was a leading icon in the American independent cinema movement of the 1990s. What made his films such as Trust, Simple Men and Amateur so unique was their deadpan wit and offbeat characters.”

While many of his peers went on to bigger, more commercial projects, Hartley chose to follow his own, independent path.

His films are known for their dry, understated humour, clean, carefully composed visuals, and soundtracks that draw on underground rock from bands, as well as his own music.

He also has a gift for drawing out distinctive performances. Actors including Adrienne Shelly, Parker Posey, Edie Falco, Martin Donovan, and Elina Löwensohn bring a slightly unusual, quietly compelling presence to his work.

The result is a body of films that feel both personal and approachable, stories that pay close attention to how people speak, behave, and connect, often in ways that are funny, surprising, and unexpectedly moving.

O’Neill says that the first film in the trilogy, Henry Fool.

“In 1997, Hartley made what many consider to be his greatest work - Henry Fool. It follows a shy, introverted garbage man in Queens, New York, named Simon Grim, who befriends a strange man named Henry Fool, and the film explores the impact Henry has on Simon, his sister, and his mother. It’s such a wonderfully quirky movie and one of my personal favourites.”

Henry Fool is a wickedly funny portrait of an unlikely friendship. Grim (James Urbaniak), an introverted and unassuming sanitation worker with little hope for change, crosses paths with Fool (Thomas Jay Ryan), a charming drifter with a mysterious past.

Encouraged by Henry, who is working on his autobiography, Simon discovers a gift for poetry that launches him into the spotlight. Soon, his work sparks acclaim, outrage, and scandal, while Henry’s unresolved past threatens to unravel both their futures.

With memorable performances from Posey and Shelly, and a sharp, layered screenplay that earned Hartley top honours at Cannes, the film deftly blends dark humour and philosophical depth.

It probes the complications of ambition, creativity, and the human cost of artistic pursuit, establishing its status as a landmark in American independent cinema.

At the time, Henry Fool was intended as a stand-alone film, but as O’Neill explains, it became much more than a one-off venture.

“Hartley didn’t realise it at the time, but this would ultimately become the first part of a trilogy which would span over 17 years.

“The second part of this story is called Fay Grim and follows Simon’s sister, played by Posey, but this film is very different from the first in that it deals with international espionage and takes place over several continents; it’s Hartley’s most ambitious film to date.”

Fay Grim, released in 2006, takes a bold, unexpected leap into the world of espionage and international intrigue.

Fay is a single mother navigating the challenges of raising her son alone, and is thrust into a dangerous conspiracy when CIA agent Fulbright (Jeff Goldblum) enlists her to recover a series of cryptic notebooks penned by her fugitive husband, Henry (Thomas Jay Ryan).

As she travels from New York to Paris, Fay finds herself entangled in a strange world of shifting allegiances and is forced to question who she can and can’t trust at every turn, all while seeking the truth about Henry’s mysterious notebooks. James Urbaniak reprises his role as Simon Grim, providing continuity and comic relief.

Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film gained a cult following for its sharp wit, satirical edge, and inventive reinvention of the spy genre, further cementing Hartley’s reputation as a singular voice in independent cinema.

Ned Rifle, released in 2014, concludes the trilogy by introducing a new generation of characters, as O’Neill explains.

“The final part of the trilogy follows the son that Fay and Henry had, who is now a young man seeking revenge against the father. He meets a strange woman along the way, played by Aubrey Plaza, who may know more about this family than he realises.”

Ned Rifle follows Ned (Liam Aiken) as he embarks on a mission to face his estranged father. Along the way, he meets the mysterious writer Susan (Aubrey Plaza), whose motives remain ambiguous. Parker Posey reprises her role as Fay Grim.

Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film received critical praise for its dark humour and inventive storytelling, solidifying the trilogy’s status as a cult favourite in U.S independent cinema.

O’Neill says this latest season at Triskel will especially appeal to audiences who enjoy a quirky sense of humour.

“We are screening the complete trilogy over three consecutive nights and recommend the films to anyone interested in the quirky and slyly offbeat.”

Hal Hartley’s Henry Fool Trilogy runs from April 6-8, see triskelartscentre.ie.