Review of Hello Herman (2012) by Jessica M — 05 Sep 2013

This film dares to take a look at the problem of school shootings by looking at the problem of bullying and cyber-bullying, which are, sadly, continuously relevant aspects of everyday adolescence. This is a great movie for parents to watch with their high school kids-- even in middle school-- both to teach them about why bullying is wrong and to give them strength in overcoming their own potential bully issues in school. It also invites a dialogue about bullying in schools which is EXTREMELY important and not a common enough occurrence.

Hello Herman is a movie full of different perspectives, so it doesn't dogmatically side with the victims or the shooter. To give you an idea of how bold this film is willing to be, the protagonist is a former White Power member who beats a young black boy to death. Whoah, right? Everyone is full of vices that they can't seem to overcome, which is a rare find in this cinematic age of super heroes and seemingly flawless do-gooders.