Henry Poole is a withdrawn, emotionally stunted loner who tries to hide but can't escape hope -- literally.

Luke Wilson has the title role, and Adriana Barraza plays Esperanza (the Spanish word for "hope") in "Henry Poole Is Here," a tale of real or imagined miracles, directed by Mark Pellington.

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'Henry Poole Is Here'

2 1/2 stars = Average
Ratings explained

• Starring: Luke Wilson, Adriana Barraza, Radha Mitchell.
• Rating: PG for thematic elements and some language.
• Web site: henrypooleishere

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Devastated by a grim medical diagnosis, Henry retreats to the suburban Los Angeles neighborhood where he grew up, paying an exorbitant price for a house that "needs fixed," as we say in Pittsburghese. He settles in with no furniture but lots of booze, hoping for some peace and quiet in what are expected to be his last days.

No such luck. Henry's solitude is disrupted from the get-go by the ceaseless intrusions of his neighbors: Esperanza brings cookies and nebby questions; 8-year-old Millie (Morgan Lily), a mute since her parents' break-up, surreptitiously brings her tape recorder; Millie's mom (Radha Mitchell), the beautiful young divorcee-next-door, brings issues of her own.

All heaven breaks loose when Esperanza sees a face on Henry's outdoor wall that she believes to be a sign from God. Henry sees only a water stain on a bad stucco job. But the ecstatic Esperanza keeps bringing priests and pilgrims, who attribute a series of inexplicable healings to the miraculous power of the image.

Barraza ("Babel") and Mitchell ("Finding Neverland") do their best. So, I suppose, does creepy little Morgan Lily, though she kept reminding me of those terrifying dead twins in "The Shining."

"Henry" has good intentions on the subject of belief vs. despair, and the paralyzing effects of depression and abandonment. Director Pellington ("The Mothman Prophesies") strives hard to make it uplifting, but his strivings can't overcome the plot holes, the lugubrious Luke's performance or the throbbing crescendoes and overbearing lyrics of a seriously sappy set of songs.

I'll take the Shroud of Turin.