10 Directors Who Didn't Understand Their Own Movies

1. Colin Trevorrow - The Book Of Henry

Hot off the success of Jurassic World, director Colin Trevorrow dipped his toes back in the low-budget drama area with The Book of Henry, a movie which was widely expected to be an awards contender ahead of its summer 2017 release.

Then the movie actually came out.

The Book of Henry was pilloried by critics for its wildly tone-deaf storytelling and direction, with Trevorrow clearly believing the overwrought tale to be more sweetly affecting than it actually was.

Despite being marketed as a low-key coming-of-age story, the plot ultimately involves a mother (Naomi Watts) planning to carry out her dead son's (Jaeden Lieberher) dying wish - to murder their child molester neighbour Glenn (Dean Norris).

Nobody could've watched the trailer for this film and expected to see Watts staring down the barrel of a sniper rifle in the third act, demonstrating a colossal tonal chasm between what audiences both wanted and expected, and what Trevorrow delivered.

Trevorrow called the reception to the film "a little heartbreaking" and "disproportionate", while defending the end result as "experimental" and claiming that it "very clearly works potently for many, and then does not work potently for many others."

If making an earnest drama so ridiculous it almost swings all the way around and becomes a satire of self-important art-house movies is experimental, then sure, Colin, you nailed it. Otherwise, there's a total disconnect here between intent and execution.