Do they have their own story?
Henry’s illness/death functions to launch his mother’s action and moral transformation.
The Book of Henry
2017 · Focus Features · Theatrical
FAIL
Summary
Eleven-year-old Henry Carpenter uses his intelligence to protect his family and devise a plan to help a neighbor. When he develops a brain tumor, his mother must decide what to do with the plan he leaves behind.
Why it fails
Are they allowed to live?
Death is framed as noble child-genius sacrifice.
Does the medical reality hold up?
Brain tumor progression is abrupt and plot-serving.