Review of Hello Herman (2012) by Chris A — 08 Mar 2013

Hello Herman, directed by Michelle Danner, is the chilling story about a teenage bully victim, Herman, who becomes the next school shooter to kill innocent students and teachers. Herman, played by Garrett Backstrom, grew up in a typical middle class suburban neighborhood.

Growing up with a single mom, his mother worked most hours of the day, putting her career first, but also not seeing her children for days at a time. The whole film takes place in a series of flashbacks as Herman justifies his actions from a prison to a journalist, Lax, played by Noman Reedus.

With themes such as depression and violence in the media, this film tackles many controversial topics while having the main focus on the story. With this heavy of subject matter the dialog had to be the strongest part of the film or else everything would seem off balance.

Michelle Danner did a great job of making sure that Herman was the only part of the film that felt that way. I left this filmed knowing a little more about what a troubled teenager goes through and that depression can overtake ones mind and cause irreversible damage.

Written eleven years ago, this film has more relevancies now in a country where mass killings are happening all too often.