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Opening at the Cinema Village via First Run Features is Herman's House, directed by Angad Bhalla. It follows artist Jackie Sumell as she develops a friendship with Herman Wallace, a man who has served 40 years in solitary confinement in a Louisiana prison. He was accused and convicted of murdering a corrections officer and of robbing a bank. To help raise awareness of Wallace's case and his inhumane living conditions at prison, Sumell builds a replica of Wallace's 6-by-9-foot cell. She then helps to build his dream home using his own ideas for the design. The design reflects the way Wallace feels while incarcerated in solitary confinement; in other words, the dream home is a way of getting inside his head. The issue of the inhumanity of solitary confinement and the failures of our justice system remain on the back burner as Bhalla focuses more on the dynamics between Wallace and Sumell, and on Sumell's struggles to find affordable property to build Wallace's dream home. The result is a very poignant doc that celebrates the genuine virtues of compassion, friendship. If it had explored the issue of solitary confinement with more depth, perhaps it would have been more powerful and provocative, though. Oconomowoc   Main Page Alphabetical Menu Chronological Menu ______________________________________________________ |
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