Herman's House (2013)
Average Rating: 7.5/10
Reviews Counted: 16
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Critic Reviews: 9
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 235
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Movie Info
The injustice of solitary confinement and the transformative power of art are explored in a new feature documentary from first-time director Angad Singh Bhalla. Herman's House follows the unlikely friendship between visual artist Jackie Sumell and Herman Wallace, one of America's most famous inmates, as they collaborate on an unprecedented - and widely acclaimed - art installation. (c) First Run
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All Critics (16) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (2)
Bhalla builds a damning picture of what's happening to Wallace. But he avoids pure rant ...
Top CriticAlthough this documentary has a powerful political subtext, it is best described as a conceptual art piece about confinement, attached to a dual biography of the artist and the prisoner.
The contrasting demeanors of its two main characters give Herman's House its spark, but the movie has some pungent moments without them.
This moving but sketchy documentary fails to explore its provocative issues in fully satisfying fashion.
It's an absorbing, prickly tale, which Bhalla doesn't tell as coherently as he could have-oddly fitting, considering this is a story about frustrated ambitions and unfulfilled potential.
Against the prospect of unhappy endings, the human spirit still strives.
A very poignant doc that celebrates the genuine virtues of compassion, friendship.
Reminiscent in some ways of the Damien Nichols story but more about a father-daughter relationship. It also shows what a gifted conceptual artist can do, making the Whitney Biennial look like a bit of a joke.
A compelling and enlightening documentary about the important role creativity can play in the pursuit of justice and the spread of compassion.
An involving documentary that doesn't offer a convincing argument against solitary confinement for those who may not fully realize what's objectionable about it.
Herman's House shows off the talents of several young principal crew members, and that of the director who makes his documentary feature debut, but it lacks the gravitas of human-rights filmmaking.
A fascinating biopic as much about a possible miscarriage of justice as about a case of arrested development who looks like a little girl playing house with an imaginary mate.
What drives the film is artist Jackie Sumell's relationship with [Angola 3 member Herman] Wallace.
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