Review of Herman's House (2012) by Neasa M — 14 Oct 2012

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!