The House I Live In (2012)

From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, a penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.

Director:

Eugene Jarecki

Writers:

Eugene Jarecki, Christopher St. John (additional writing)

Stars:

Eugene Jarecki, Michelle Alexander, Mark W. Bennett

4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Eugene Jarecki	...	Himself - Narrator / Interviewer
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michelle Alexander	...	Herself - Author, The New Jim Crow
Mark W. Bennett	...	Himself - U.S. Federal Judge (as Hon. Mark Bennett)
Joe Biden	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Joseph Biden)
Michael Bien	...	Himself - Civil Rights Attorney
Charles Bowden	...	Himself - Investigative Reporter
Mike Carpenter	...	Himself - Chief of Security, Lexington Corrections
Betty Chism	...	Herself - Kevin's mother
Michael Correa	...	Himself
Michael Correia	...	Himself - Commanding Officer, Narcotics (as Lt. Michael Correia)
Eric Franklin	...	Himself - Lexington Corrections Center (as Warden Eric Franklin)
Glendon Goldsboro	...	Himself - Providence Police (as Lt. Glendon Goldsboro)
Maurice Haltiwanger	...	Himself - ID# 03678-029
Carl Hart	...	Himself, associate professor of psychology, Columbia University
Elzie Hooks	...	Himself, inmate, Lexington Correctional Center

Storyline

From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, a penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.

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Plot Keywords:

u.s. mexico border | judge | federal judge | narcotics | criminal justice | 

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Taglines:

In the past 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world's largest jailer, and destroyed impoverished communities at home and abroad.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

BBC [United Kingdom] ITVS [United States]

Country:

Netherlands UK Germany Japan Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

American Ghetto: Mayaku-sensô to sabetsu no rensa

Filming Locations:

New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,453, 7 October 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$210,752, 10 February 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

Al Jazeera Documentary Channel,British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),Charlotte Street Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min (total run time)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Herself - Author, The New Jim Crow: You know, in any war, you've got to have an enemy, and when you think about impact, particularly on poor people of color, there are more African-Americans under correctional control today in prison or jail, on probation or parole, than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began. And that's something we haven't been willing to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, "what's really going on?"

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Connections

Edited into Independent Lens: The House I Live In (2013)

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Soundtracks

LOCKED UP
Written by Akon (as A. Thiame)
Published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, LLC
Performed by Akon
Courtesy of Universal Records
under license from Universal Music

User Reviews

Well-crafted advocacy piece with a few distracting flaws.

The House I Live In is a very informative work of advocacy that's only thinly masquerading as a documentary. It's a more reformed, nuanced version of a Michael Moore piece that has a clear point of advocacy aimed squarely at whatever practical center still exists. It doesn't hit you over the head with a message or misleading facts but squarely lets you arrive at the conclusion that the drug war has failed.

It's not an anti-corporate rant with a clear villain to rally against. I left thinking that there was enough material and story there to easily fill a mini-series or a Ken Burns style documentary without getting preachy or creating fatigue.

It has enlightening and entertaining moments, but there are many flaws in the storytelling. Many characters are introduced, many of which with too much or not enough background, and seem to float around their promised purpose without really landing at a point or purpose. (Given the ending theme of the work, perhaps this is intentional.)

David Simon's incredibly powerful monologues bring a saving grace to moments in the film that tend to struggle, especially moments where the director awkwardly inserts himself into the film.

Unlike a lot of similar works, you could probably take your Republican parents to see it without the evening being automatically ruined.

Unlike almost every other advocacy piece I've seen, it achieves its goal of starting a conversation, rather than ending one.