Review of Hello Herman (2012) by Aimee M — 06 Feb 2013

The echoes of Newtown, Connecticut are still being heard in the public's collective memory. The recent tragedy has awoken such passionate discourse among people of all viewpoints on issues such as gun control, school protection, mental health, etc. The new Michelle Danner film "Hello Herman," due for a March 2013 release, makes a bold decision in focusing on a viewpoint rarely heard from in the wake of mass shootings- the view from the killer.

"Hello Herman" tells the story of Herman Howards (Garrett Backstrom), a young high school student who has committed a bloody marathon of killings with a gun in his high school gym. Right before submitting to police apprehension, he records himself talking directly to media personality Lax Morales (Norman Reedus), saying that he wants to be profiled on his show. Lax retains his distance from Herman throughout the interview process, but it isn't before long that he starts to remember his own savage memories. Lax and Herman soon form a cautious bond that transgresses interviewer and subject. Lax's discovery of Herman's true identity mirrors our own: that of an intelligent, lonely, and tormented youth who was invisible in a sea of other teenage faces.

Featuring powerful performances from Reedus and Backstrom, and a fine ensemble cast (notably Danner herself as Herman's mother) "Hello Herman" paints a complex portrait of a school shooter and the external forces that are equally brutal to young people- bullying, neglect, and misunderstanding. This film is relevant and will likely add to the conversation about these trying times.