Regarding Henry

Regarding Henry

Year: 1991

Runtime: 108 min

Language: English

Director: Mike Nichols

DramaRomance

A ruthless corporate lawyer named Henry Turner experiences a life-altering event when he's shot and loses his memory. As he begins to recover, he discovers a surprising empathy and compassion, fundamentally changing his perspective. This transformation challenges his colleagues, friends, and family to reconsider their relationships with the man he has become, forcing them to confront their own values and choices.

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Regarding Henry (1991) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Regarding Henry (1991), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Henry Turner, portrayed by Harrison Ford](/actor/harrison-ford), is a wealthy attorney in Manhattan whose relentless ambition and calculating mindset often overshadow his family life. He is absorbed in his high-stakes career, leaving little room for his socialite wife, Sarah, and their troubled preteen daughter, Rachel. Recently, he achieved a significant victory by defending a hospital against a malpractice lawsuit, successfully protecting it from liability, despite the plaintiff’s claims of inadequate warning.

However, one fateful evening changes everything. While at a convenience store indulging his nicotine habit, Henry becomes embroiled in a robbery and is caught in a hail of gunfire. A bullet grazes his right frontal lobe, and another pierces his left subclavian artery, leading to catastrophic internal injuries and cardiac arrest. As he succumbs to a lack of oxygen, irreversible brain damage occurs.

Henry’s survival is astonishing, yet it comes with devastating consequences: he awakens immobilized and mute, suffering from retrograde amnesia. Confined to a nursing facility, he embarks on a grueling journey to regain his movement and speech, guided by a dedicated physical therapist named Bradley. The financial strain on his family is profound, but his gradual recovery ultimately allows him to return home.

Once back, Henry struggles to reconnect with his family, feeling like a stranger in his own life. Sarah enrolls Rachel in a prestigious school outside Manhattan, but the young girl struggles to adapt to her new environment. During the orientation, Henry crafts a comforting story to alleviate Rachel’s anxieties, demonstrating his newly discovered empathy.

As Henry and Sarah rekindle their relationship, reliving cherished moments from their past, he longs for the closeness he once shared with Rachel, who seems increasingly withdrawn. His professional life pivots when his law firm reinstates him, albeit with reduced responsibilities. The notion of downsizing their lifestyle resonates with Sarah, prompting Henry to confront the emptiness that had defined his previous existence.

A dinner party presents Henry with the harsh reality of his tarnished reputation, as cruel whispers from acquaintances reveal the detrimental impact of his absence. Amidst this turmoil, he uncovers a series of letters from a former colleague to Sarah, disclosing an affair that could have torn apart their marriage had Henry not been incapacitated.

This revelation triggers an emotional upheaval for Henry, forcing him to reevaluate his relationships and the man he used to be. Confronted by Linda, a former lover who exposes her treachery, he begins questioning his identity and place in the world. In a moment of reckoning, Henry makes the crucial decision to turn over incriminating documents that his firm had concealed, effectively vindicating the plaintiff’s claims and initiating a long-awaited accountability.

With a heavy heart, he resigns from the firm, recognizing the ethical necessity of distancing himself from an organization steeped in deceit. This newfound clarity starkly contrasts the darkness Sarah had cautioned him about, but Henry finally accepts the bitter truth that all he believed to be right was, in fact, wrong.

In a heartfelt act of reconciliation, he reaches out to Sarah and together they find closure, their bonds deepened by their shared experiences. They embark on a mission to liberate Rachel from the institution that stifled her growth. The joy on Rachel’s face is unmistakable as she reunites with her parents, and as they leave the building, she joyfully discards her school hat, symbolizing her liberation, much like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, ready to embrace a vibrant new future.

Last Updated: November 21, 2024 at 09:12

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