Herman's House

Released Apr 19, 2013

1h 20m

Documentary

List

82%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

72%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker Angad Bhalla captures the creative journey of Herman Wallace, a prisoner confined to a solitary cell, as he draws his dream house.

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Farran Smith Nehme

New York Post

Bhalla builds a damning picture of what's happening to Wallace. But he avoids pure rant ...

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 19, 2013

Full Review

Stephen Holden

New York Times

Although 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.

Rated: 3.5/5

Apr 18, 2013

Full Review

Mark Jenkins

NPR

The contrasting demeanors of its two main characters give Herman's House its spark, but the movie has some pungent moments without them.

Apr 18, 2013

Full Review

Jordan M. Smith

IONCINEMA.com

While this visual discussion is a fascinating catch all for the footage found within the film, it feels a bit like Bhalla's many potential parables couldn't be funneled into a solid, fulfilling arc.

Nov 13, 2020

Full Review

Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

A very poignant doc that celebrates the genuine virtues of compassion, friendship.

Rated: 7.45/10

May 10, 2013

Full Review

Louis Proyect

rec.arts.movies.reviews

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.

Apr 19, 2013

Full Review

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Audience Member

Wow was I disappointed by this movie. Because they can't get footage of Herman his voice overs are all we get and they're usually laid over boring, weird or badly directed shots. There's not nearly enough story to tell so the documentary goes on these long tangents about the artist's family issues, her protesting george bush and Herman's sister. Every once and a while the movie hints that its going to get on track but then immediately heads off on another boring random tangent. The epitome of this movie's aimlessness is a scene where the artists argues with some random old man as to whether or not being in solitary is a cruel or unusual punishment.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is an interesting, compelling and disturbing documentary of the relationship between a young performance artist and a 40 year long-time solitary confinement prisoner in a Louisiana federal prison. Helping Herman Wallace escape his confinement by designing his 'ideal' concept of home, Jackie loses herself within his struggle. By the end of the movie you are left dazed and confused by how this vibrant, iconoclastic artist has become as trapped and confined as Herman by her own innate goodness and unresolved emotional needs. Having made a commitment to Herman, Jackie appears unable to find a way out or forward losing any meaningful objectivity on the way. Her beautiful New Orleans home stands in stark contract to Herman's imaged one - which is a smash up between the American dream and a replica of his prison cell. This is most definitely a story to be told - but not a house to be built!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Amazing how one man not only has the energy to stay sane, but to inspire others as well.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This was a surprisingly amazing movie, from the desc I didn't expect to like it, but since I got to watch part of it while volunteering I checked it out, and very interesting+cool!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Angad Bhalla captures the creative journey of Herman Wallace, a prisoner confined to a solitary cell, as he draws his dream house.

Director: Angad Bhalla
Producer: Ed Barreveld, Loring McAlpin
Distributor: First Run
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 19, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.7K
Runtime: 1h 20m