The House I Live In

Released Oct 5, 2012

1 hr. 48 min.

Documentary

List

94%

66 Reviews

Tomatometer

85%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The death of his housekeeper's son inspires filmmaker Eugene Jarecki to add up the true cost of America's losing war on drugs.

Read More

Read Less

Prime Video

Rent The House I Live In on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

delysid d

Imagine how boring a Drug Free America would actually be

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/09/19

Full Review

jed i

6.7/10 — "Okay"/"Decent"/"Watchable"

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Well-researched documentary on the futile 'War on Drugs' which has been going on in the U.S. for almost half a decade ("futile" because it massively increased prison numbers while failing to reduce drug use). According to director Eugene Jarecki's comment, the U.S. led the world-wide ranking of incarcerated citizen per capita -- five years later, they 'only' are number two. Autor and TV writer David Simon's comment on the growing prison industry: "All these Americans we don't need anymore -- let's see if we can make money off locking them up." Which reminds me of a line in George Clinton's song "U.S. Custom Coast Guard Dope Dog": "There's more profit in pretending that we're stopping it, than selling it." In the end of the frustrating film, Abraham Lincoln scholar Richard Lawrence Miller points out that the racist aspects of the current 'War on Drugs' have a long history. He argues that legal substances were frequently demonized only when it became clear that making them illegal could help keep a threatening minority in check. (As one example, Miller cites 19th century opium laws on the West Coast directed at Chinese immigrants.)

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Amazing, thought provoking, enlightening & terrifying. I've recommended this to pretty much anyone I can. Wonderful documentary.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

absolutely heartbreaking, mind boggling, frustrating....one of the best docs I have ever seen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Excellent documentary on the failure of the war on drugs, sentencing bias, and unintended consequences that cause us to jail a higher percentage of our population than any other country.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Eugene Jarecki

Director

Eugene Jarecki

Narrator

David Simon

Self

Charles Ogletree

Self

Michael Bien

Self

Eugene Jarecki

Screenwriter

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

100%

84%

Message to Love

75%

74%

Capitalism: A Love Story

69%

83%

The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear

100%

94%

How to Die in Oregon

73%

71%

My Reincarnation

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Digital Multiplex: Spring Breakers, No, and More

View more photos

Claude Peck

Minneapolis Star Tribune

The movie's indictment would be more persuasive had Jarecki recognized that his audience likely already knows most of what he recaps, and can handle the odd scrap of ambiguity.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 17, 2013

Full Review

Tom Long

Detroit News

"The House I Live In" leaves you shaking your head in deadened wonder at the waste of it all.

Rated: B+

Dec 7, 2012

Full Review

Kate Muir

Times (UK)

One of the best documentaries out this year, and a must-see for Senate and Congress in America.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 23, 2012

Full Review

B. Ruby Rich

Film Quarterly

Elegantly edited [and] thoroughly researched... Deservedly took the jury award for best U.S. documentary.

Feb 28, 2020

Full Review

C.J. Prince

Way Too Indie

The subject matter alone makes this essential viewing if one has the chance to see it.

Rated: 7.9/10

Jun 29, 2019

Full Review

Daniel Green

CineVue

Despite presenting clean and precise analysis for the most part, Jarecki does stumble into simplistic didactic at several points in the film.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 6, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

The death of his housekeeper's son inspires filmmaker Eugene Jarecki to add up the true cost of America's losing war on drugs.

Director: Eugene Jarecki
Executive Producer: Nick Fraser, Joslyn Barnes, Danny Glover
Screenwriter: Eugene Jarecki
Distributor: Abramorama
Production Co: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 5, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 27, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $210.8K

Most Popular at Home Now