Hello Herman (2012) User Reviews

A flawed but important film

[castielminion1 · 7/10 · 12 November 2014]

I think the premise of this film is very intriguing, but I think the execution was flawed. The actors were all very well cast and played their roles brilliantly, but I think the script was a bit shoddy in some places and could have benefited from being longer and fleshing out the characters a bit more- the potential was there but the back stories weren't fully utilized. The story could have done with more development as well- it felt a tad rushed in places.

That being said, I think this film is (sadly) very relevant to the world today. It has an important message that needs to be heard, and so far this is one of the only (if not the only) films that touches on this subject matter. It deserves a wider audience because it really does have a lot to say.

I think the film was well cast, with Norman Reedus and Garret Backstrom giving great performances. They really make you care about their characters, which from the premise of the film clearly isn't the easiest thing to do, but that is really the whole point. The script and the direction could have been better, but overall the film succeeds in doing what it set out to do- make you think.

Not realistic enough

[Aries_Primal · 5/10 · 20 April 2014]

The idea of the movie was great, more of it too. But emoitons are like drained, they are gone. Mother who losing her son don't just cry, she is completely destroyed by grief. On top of it - nobody should let an execution of non adult kid to be showed on television. The end was ridiculous too - he just continued his show like nothing happened. There were nasty scenes with the "negar" kid, and nobody said how he made it and escaped from that group, Lax I mean. Not good enough for me. Norman's playing was absolutely professional as always, and his character was more convincing than Herman's one. That offset the viewer's attention from the real problem. Great idea, bad performance, that's what I have to say. I couldn't feel the emotions of that drama, I couldn't see it from the deviations. You have no more than five from me. And it's too much.

A Powerful Film

[lilliankeeve · 7/10 · 29 July 2013]

This film truly is thought provoking. I was pulled in the second it started and I never lost interest. It really does raise awareness of teenagers and what they experience in school and at home. A lot of what the main character feels is disconnect from the people at his school and never really truly fitting in. He was just a lost kid who didn't know what else to do to make people actually notice him and he decided to act upon this with violence. Some major issues are prevalent in Hello Herman and in society. Issues of violence, bullying and chaotic family life. A very interesting aspect of the film was the whole concept of how Herman devalued his life. When people see something like this happen they immediately point the finger at the killer and they want to see him suffer. The film reflects what's been happening in our society and doesn't let up on making a point.

Premise with a lot of potential ruined by pretentiousness and sentimentality

[RepublicofE · 2 March 2015]

The two leads of this film do an adequate to excellent job all things considered. But that's really about the nicest thing I can say about this movie.

The makers of this film either were trying to make a piece of blatant propaganda or were sincerely interested in giving a dynamic presentation of a complex issue but fell flat on their face. I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt and hope it was the latter. I will say this, the makers do seem to have an at least slightly more lucid understanding of the issue of school shootings than say, Michael Moore, or a lot of other mainstream Hollywood personalities do. For example, "I shot as many people as I did because I had to reset the precedent" is exactly the kind of thing a school mass shooter would say, maybe not after being arrested but before in his journals and "confession" tapes. They were able to recognize and convey the idea that infamy is at least almost as big a motive for people like Herman as "revenge" and that there is more too it than just "wahaha I was bullied so now I'm gonna show everyone by shooting up my school".

The problem is, that little bit of remarkable perceptiveness and insight is completely balanced out by asinine and simplistic messages about other aspects of school shootings. Anyone who has researched the issue even a little in depth knows that the majority of school shooters are not really severely bullied and the ones that clear whole classrooms are especially unlikely to have been severely hazed, in fact they are often bullies themselves. This is not to say that it was "wrong" per se for them to portray Herman as having been a victim of hazing and cyberbullying, the filmmakers are not obligated to make him exactly like other school shooters and should be free to form their own interpretive framework, but they just really hammered it home too hard. Degrassi can be somewhat excused for their overly simplistic interpretation of the relationship between hazing and school shootings because they made that episode at a time when the narrative that the CHS shooters were just two bullied teens driven to the edge by extreme hazing was still the most widely accepted theory, but that notion has long since been debunked, and in 2012-2015 we should know better. I've seen a couple people ask why they chose to cast a pretty boy as the shooter. Well to be honest that was one of their better decisions, because the students who do this kind of thing really are often pretty boys, not acne-ridden overweight outcasts. I mean obviously it's true that a pretty boy can be a bullying victim as much as anyone else, but the narrative that the skinny emo kid that no one talks to is the most likely to attempt an act like this is a disingenuous and frankly dangerous one. Being antisocial does not automatically rank you at the bottom of the food chain.

Every other aspect of the film is a jumbled mess. It seems like in an attempt to frame a dynamic "discussion" about school shootings they decided to try and shoe-horn in as many related topics as possible, but as a result they ended up taking the most juvenile and superficial approach to each one. There's that one political show that serves as an obvious and obnoxious allegory for Fox right-wing talk shows, which is really no more subtle than an SNL sketch about the same subject. There's a Michelle Bachman-like Republican legislator (they just couldn't resist including her party affiliation for the record) who I guess is supposed to p#ss us off with how b#tchy and unsympathetic to Herman she is except the film never really gives us any reason for us to fell all that sorry for him either. Then, as if in an attempt to make it more fair to conservatives, they have some liberal d##s##t commentator who is also presented as being just as much of a moron, along with his "killing people won't stop people from killing people" followers. Maybe the message was "hey look, talking heads who get involved in school shooting stories are nothing more than opportunistic bloodsuckers no matter which end of the political spectrum they hail from", but I doubt it.

There's also some peripheral expository arch about Herman's sister having been killed by a car a couple years before the shooting, complete with way over-the-top sequences of him being haunted by her. The best I can tell is that since he felt it was his fault, that feeling of already having blood on his hands made him less apprehensive about the massacre, but they never really explain it in so much detail. There's also a side-story about Lax Morales's having rolled with a quasi-neonazi underground group during the days of his youth and possibly having been implicated as an accessory in the manslaughter death of a black teenager. The relevance this has to the rest of the movie is never flushed out; they clearly thought it was contributing to some kind of "hate breeds hate, violence breeds violence" message which I suppose could have worked but didn't.

For people familiar with school shooting movies, "Zero Day" is usually the gold-standard. Now I don't think this film should have been "like Zero Day" and for the record I think some of the things they did were pretty clever. But watching Zero Day can help make clear some of the things that this film unquestionably did wrong.

Hello Herman Opens Communication

[pampowell5 · 7/10 · 6 June 2013]

The social implications of the daring film "Hello Herman" cannot be ignored. Michelle Danner, the film's director, gave her audience questions to ponder such as what can and should be done to make schools safer, why do some children commit such atrocious acts, and who are these children? The story unfolds with two parallel stories taking place. Both main characters have issues in their past, but they both deal with them differently. Through flashing back and forth through time, we see each individual unfold completely. Both Lax (Reedus), the blogger, and Herman (Backstrom), the shooter, are realistically complex individuals. The film captures this in a harsh and sometimes brutal way that was at times, difficult to watch. Delving more deeply into the rationale of a shooter, Herman reminisces about many forms of bullying; physical, verbal, emotional, and cyber. They all take a toll. Parental involvement, or lack thereof, and many other stressors are given for the viewer to consider. While this is a disturbing film, it is still a film that opens the doors of communication to discuss how we can address this alarming situation. "Hello Herman" takes us on that difficult journey of beginning to try to understand why this violence is happening to our children.

Idea of the story could have been interesting...

[darrell-822-118654 · 1/10 · 20 October 2013]

The premise of this movie could have made for a good story but the infantile development by the director was not only bias...something a real crime of this nature should certainly not need...but made you feel as if you were watching a bad soap opera. The b rate actors, excluding the reporter and the young criminal, bring a new low to movies. It would have been easier to watch an hour of the stupid video game they kept showing. Rob Estes was so bad that I actually hope I never, ever have to endure him on the screen again. If you are going to bash Fox...and I am not saying you shouldn't...make sure you at least appear smarter. Terrible direction and lousy actors shred any hope of the premise rising to any fruitful work.

Tragic subject, inept film. Sledgehammer arguments replace reason. Awful!

[TheSquiss · 1/10 · 20 September 2013]

Set in Any Town, USA, in the near future, sixteen year old Herman Howards takes a bag full of guns and pipe bombs into the school gym, locks the doors and murders 39 fellow students and two teachers. Hello Herman is a fictional account of an all too frequent occurrence in America that aims to explain why such shootings occur so often and who or what is to blame.

What Hello Herman actually achieves is to leave the viewer with the sensation of having been bludgeoned with the extreme views from either side. You see, there are only two sides: black and white, left and right, monster and victim. There is no middle ground, no shades of grey.

Holding centre court is reformed neo-Nazi Lax Morales (yes, that really is his name and, no, it couldn't be any more obvious if we named a sexy temptress, um, Pussy Galore), played by The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus. Morales now hosts an online talk show and is condemned by rightwing TV journalist Chet Clarkson (Rob Estes) as being a liberal. We know that Morales has reformed because the left-facing swastika tattoo on his chest has been replaced with a tattoo of Jesus Christ. That the new tattoo is smaller than the old one and that there is nary a hint of scar tissue from tattoo removal is never mentioned.

Herman sends the video of his massacre to Morales and they begin a series of interviews in the prison as Herman awaits his swift, televised execution. Let's not talk about how he emails Morales the video, bearing in mind he is arrested at the gym, nor why his execution occurs in a matter of months, whereas there are men and women on death row twenty-odd years after conviction due to the appeals process…

If we can accept that any reasonable, socialized individual agrees that killing people is wrong own then I won't have people accusing me of being unsympathetic/too sympathetic. This is a review is about a film, not my political views.

The 'soft' argument in Hello Herman is hammered home through a series of scenes looking at Herman's life and explanations from children's representative, Lyle Fergusson (John Bobek), who probably wears camel hair boxer shorts and socks with sandals by the way he's been written and performed. We know that Herman is a victim because he's bullied, the teachers don't stand up for him, his parents fought, his dad left, his mum ignores him, his sister died, a girl betrayed him, he plays violent games, Google tells him how to make bombs, supermarkets sell guns…

I'm sorry, was that too subtle for you? Would you like me to explain? No, I'll leave that to Herman:

Herman: "You know what I miss more than anything?"

Morales: "What's that?"

Herman: "My Xbox. If I could get one more game in I'd be happy."

The 'hard' argument comes from Chet Clarkson and Senator Joan Cox (Christine Dunford), who might just as well have horns and a forked tail. Their view is that Herman is a sick, evil monster and frying him with electricity while strapped to a chair live on TV without even a hood to cover his face is just too damn good for him. At one point, Senator Cox declares, eye's wide and jaw gritted, "Killing people won't stop people killing people. But seeing the execution live sure as hell will!"

Again, do you need me to explain that a little better?

Hello Herman is one, long, arduous, ineptly made, shockingly acted (Reedus aside) propaganda film that does more damage than good. It is the cinematic equivalent of sprinkling salt on your food with a cement mixer.

Hello Herman has a very important message to give. It is a terrible subject matter that must be dealt with but, so far, the American governments over the years have failed to resolve it. That's a given. No problem there.

However, Hello Herman is a terrible film. If you wish to know more about the subject of school shootings and teenage angst that leads to extreme acts of violence, walk away from this very quickly and pick up a double bill of Bowling for Columbine and We Need to Talk About Kevin.

For more reviews from The Squiss, subscribe to my blog and like the Facebook page.

Hello Herman...

[oneinfinitemind · 10/10 · 31 July 2012]

I am speechless. The film was extremely powerful and touched me right to my core. After watching this film it reminds me of how important it is that we respect and are kind to the people in our lives no matter what role they play in it. I felt very moved and an intense sense of gratitude towards life after this movie. It really makes you assess what is important in life and opens your awareness to what can happen when you forget how precious life is. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who wants to see some phenomenal acting with an amazing story line.

Cheers, Christian

Mostly just disappointed

[MidnightCat232 · 2/10 · 27 December 2014]

Truth be known- I've only watched this because of Norman Reedus. And because of him it's a 2 star, otherwise zero. I'm so sorry to be so disappointed about this movie. I understand that there must be so much good intentions behind it and it's a big story...but. But what in all saints name were they thinking??? Most people already wrote all you need to know about this movie so I'm not going to repeat that. Just...if you are really still set to watch this movie, then just focus on Reeduses blue eyes and try not to notice everything else. And if your intelligence gets insulted few times...and if basic components that should be holding story together are falling apart...just, you know, thank god they've had decent stylist who blended outfits perfectly with the light ratio. Great job there!

A must-see especially for parents. Great acting by the two leads, Reedus and Backstrom

[kevinpark9 · 10/10 · 29 July 2013]

The chemistry between the two leads (Reedus and Backstrom) was outstanding. They definitely played off each other and it worked. I also found Herman's mother's (Michelle Danner) monologue to be quite convincing and moving. The great acting is to be expected when a prestigious acting teacher is the director. I think this film is rather important for parents and teachers to see. I can see Danner being persuaded by many others to not make this movie since the subject matter is so controversial. Obviously in the movie, Herman gets bullied to an extent that he plots for revenge and lashes out on his fellow students through murder. This movie reminds us of how an innocent child can transform into a heartless killing machine through the abuse and bullying a child endures. Herman states to Lax that he is human. Everybody needs to be reminded that everybody in this world is human and we all have feelings we go through.

Shooting this movie was a real tragedy

[timlin-4 · 1/10 · 28 October 2013]

Normally I wouldn't review a movie that I couldn't finish, but I can't let the shill reviews stand. This is a bad movie: badly written, badly acted, and contrived in every element. The quality is lower than a soap opera, the tone is more juvenile than a children's movie, the propaganda is more shameless than North Korean TV. When a movie is so slanted that it makes you question its unfair treatment of child killers and Neo-Nazis something has gone terribly wrong. The subject of school shooters has been handled better in several movies, and this adds nothing, a movie for idiots by idiots. I almost hope that this is some sick satire, it would help me sleep at night knowing that there aren't such demented morons out there, though that wouldn't really change my rating, because then it would just be a very bad joke.

great looking kid shoots up high school because he couldn't get his mother on the phone.

[dave-1028 · 1/10 · 25 December 2012]

A good example of bad casting. Why would you cast a 'hunk' in the role of a high school outcast? The lead should have been one of the 'in crowd' bullies. Saw the play and Sawyer Avery was much more the role in a lot of ways. I guess he was not pretty enough for the film. The play was overwrought with redundant speeches. The film's budget fortunately trimmed some of that.

Some of the acting was over-the-top unbelievable. The director seems to have difficulty with anything subtle. Like the casting of Sean Gaul. Look on line for Aryan Brother leaders. Most of the skin head bulls with tats are followers - not leaders. But that is another example of in-your-face weak directing.

Never again.

[lexsxswt · 1/10 · 8 January 2014]

Now don't get me wrong, I love the idea of a movie that sheds light on the issues that school bullying brings, but the attempt to humanize someone who took the lives of others is just too much. If you want a great film on the subject, I suggest Bully. A first hand account from people who live through bullying trumps a violent bloodbath being used to push someones agenda any day (you hear me Micheal Moore?) When I first heard about this film, I was excited. No, not because Daryl Dixon was going to play one of the leads, but because this is a very real problem in our society today, one that hits close to home for myself and my friends. I sat down with a friend to watch the trailer when it came out. Less than 30 seconds into the trailer, she was in the bathroom, puking. Why, you may ask, did my friend throw up? Within those 30 seconds, she got to relive losing one of her friends during the shooting at their high school. And I mean really relive it as the person on screen was killed the exact same way. Even the trailer shows the director/writer blatantly using the deaths of real people who died in school shootings for "inspiration" behind the deaths in the movie (our friends were not bully's. They were victims of a demented mind that wanted attention. Of all the people he killed, not a single one had EVER bullied him.) She didn't finish the trailer and her words were, "The only way I'd watch that movie is if Norman Reedus AND the director watched it with me. That way they could see first hand the effect that it has. Reedus can hold my hair while I puke." I, being the glutton for punishment that I am, did finish the movie. Not without difficulty I assure you. I site all of the above negative reviews as my reasons along with the deep sadness of watching people killed in the same manner as people I knew. I get the feeling that 'fans' of Norman Reedus are the only reason that this movie doesn't have one star. While Mr. Reedus and Mr. Backstrom did OK in their rolls, it just wasn't enough to save the sinking ship that is Hello Herman. If you love Norman Reedus, by all means watch away. Just keep your kids away from this movie. To me it feels more like a blueprint in how to get attention than it does a warning of what could happen. Never. Again.

Terrorists are people too

[nogodnomasters · 8/10 · 2 September 2017]

Herman Howards (Garrett Backstrom) is the bullied kid at school. He likes to play violent video games and download pipe bomb plans off the Internet. He snaps killing 39 students and two teachers. Blogger Lax Morales (Norman Reedus) is requested by Herman to interview him. Lax has a complex past that plays out as a subplot.

The film was decently acted and the violent parts are not shown. It had your basic Star Trek theme...the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one in the Reedus subplot and in the main plot, the emotional needs of the one outweighs the lives of the many. Herman himself hit upon all the stereotypes of our view of a troubled teen terrorist.

Guide: No sex or nudity.

Not worth watching

[zlatahudba · 2/10 · 26 September 2012]

This is a movie that seems to have tried to be many things and falls short in most of it's objectives. The plot seems ripe for an after school movie of the week but the language is quite adult at times. The focus of the movie seems to wander at times, it feels at times the movie is told all in flashbacks and news reports. It also doesn't help that much of the acting is way over the top to near comedic heights next to Reedus' far more understated performance. Technically, the movie is shot well but most of the crew appear to be mailing it in on this one.

One would be far better served seeking out Bully http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1682181/ or Elephant http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363589/

Haunting & Compelling

[rkfried · 8/10 · 14 June 2013]

This a truly haunting film. Norman Reedus as an online journalist is understated and thoughtful. Garett Buckstrom as the teenager killer is oddly compelling. It's a powerful subject, hypnotically rendered. And I found myself thinking about my own high school bully. Halfway through the film, my wife asked me, "Are kids that mean? The answer, alas, is yes. And the film shows the ways technology---Facebook and the like---renders cruelty both easier to commit and more harmful The killings in the film are rendered in freeze frame so that we see the horror on the victims' faces, but nothing else. There's plenty of gore, though, in the video games that obsess the teenage killer who commits the massacre. The film is part of the "Hello Herman Project" to create dialogue about school bullying. This compelling film is an excellent tool to get the conversation started between parents and children. Well worth watching.

completely misleading propaganda film

[katana-890-299661 · 1/10 · 6 January 2014]

I'm terribly disappointed with this film. If you think this is a spoiler then stop reading...

It paints a sincerely false belief that video games are the sole reason this kid did violence. "That" is what is shoved down your throat in the foreground of this film, all throughout it. While in the background, pale examples of this kids abusers and a lack of anyone to turn to are the real reasons behind his violent outburst.

Stop trying so hard to convince people that violent video games encourage people to be violent when in reality, people being violent to another person while teachers do "nothing" about it, and with no one at all for this kid to talk to about his problems and without being provided with ANY realistic solutions to his problem, is why he became violent.

Spare yourself

[Noellecope · 2/10 · 9 October 2014]

Please do yourself a favor and watch something else.Anything else. This movie. Man, just when I didn't think the film could get any worse it did. I'm not sure who I should blame first. The director or the screenwriter. I think that the director takes the cake ( by that I mean the blame) for this movie. Mostly because of the horrible acting. Did anyone else see the crazy blonde lady that looked like she walked off SNL? How does a director let something like that happen? and the two lead men? Man did they try. Oh they tried to give us something. But Garret looked like a Disney kid who got lost. Another painful to watch performance came from the director herself staring as none other than boys mother. I think that out of the whole film only two people gave worth while performances. One was the female police offer who had two minutes of screen time and the beautiful Latina lead. They truly did a really good job when you look at the film as a whole. If only they hadn't been apart of this. The film lacked all vision. Nowhere at anytime could I see what they hell the filmmakers where trying to do. I wish that a film on this subject would have gone farther. Gave us something to really think about. But instead it gave us corny character names and cringe worth dialogue. The editing on this film was so amateurish I thought that I was watching the work of a film school drop out. The editor clearly was trying to use Lee Smith's tricks ( Lee Smith editor for many of Christopher Nolan's films) for flash backs and quick cuts. Not a single time was it done properly. Thank god Norman had the walking dead to go back to after this train wreck of a film. Over all the film is completely half baked.

Stale story about school shootings

[fathersonholygore · 4/10 · 29 July 2014]

I was hoping this film might add something to the debate about school shootings in America, but unfortunately it does not. The story of Herman Howards, a bullied and ridiculed young kid in high school, who decides to finally show people what they're doing to him: he walks into his school, laying waste to many students and teachers with guns and pipe bombs. Herman is familiar; he's like all the real school shooters who ended up taking lives needlessly because they were traumatized personally. I have sympathy for those who are bullied- I was in juniour high school, and it was awful. However, there's a difference between having sympathy and agreeing with what someone has done. School shootings have a lot of angles to consider- one major angle being the availability of guns to people, and particular young people, in the U.S- but this film goes in too many directions, never really going for one angle instead of a bunch.

The acting was all right. Mainly Norman Reedus carried the acting here. Even the kid who played Herman wasn't that great, though there were a few moments I enjoyed from him. Unfortunately acting can't make up for the lack of a decent plot. It's too simple. They're not really saying anything here. I gave this a 4 out of 10 because of Reedus, and also the willingness to tackle a really tough subject for American audiences. Other than that, I would say skip it. I was waiting on this awhile, but now I'm thoroughly disappointed.

The one thing that I did enjoy here Reedus' character, and his backstory. He was involved with some undercover reporting, a la Hunter S Thompson with the Hells Angels, which of course eventually goes bad. Basically we get more depth into the character, how he has not always necessarily been an "innocent", and took part in something brutal. Though this is another area the film also falls short- they never really gave me a satisfying conclusion to the character and his demons. It was a very intense setup, but I don't feel like they paid it off in the end.

Find something else to watch, unless you have some time to waste. There are a couple other films involving school shootings, particularly Zero Day, that use the premise more effectively, and with much more impact.

Emotional

[hanathesupermodel · 10/10 · 10 April 2013]

Hello Herman is an emotional film that the audience embarks on and goes through the social issues of bullying and violence. I soaked into the entire movie, and I felt like I had taken part of this journey as well. Afterwards, I thought about past shootings and ways I can try to prevent future ones from occurring. The casting for Herman Howards and Lax Morales is effective as they connected well and made the story more believable. With each having their own ways of getting their fame and trying to understand their past, makes the film dynamic and creates the drama that I experience. By doing this type of film, most films usually stick with one point of view and runs with it. Hello Herman does a great job of showing both sides of the story: Herman and the victim's side. By showing both sides, it makes the emotion more powerful and gets the audience involved. Herman tells Lax that he won't be forgotten with what he did and after the film; my mind was wrapped around the subject matter and discussed it with people about it. I would recommend this film for parents and teens to look at the effects of bullying and how to find positive ways to cope with it.

Hello Herman Review

[thefilmfan1990 · 26 July 2013]

I am such a Norman Reedus fan, so I was very excited to see that he was in a new movie this summer. I may have initially watched Hello Herman out of loyalty to Reedus, but I took away much more than just an increased respect for Reedus as an actor. Michelle Danner blew me away with her exceptional directing that gives us a stark look at the dangers of remaining inactive at quelling violence within our schools and our households. Danner, a renowned Los Angeles acting coach, set out to make this film with endorsements from top Hollywood producers, like Steven Spielberg. From the very beginning it throws you right into the chaos of a town torn apart by the school shootings of a student embittered by perpetual abuse from bullies and personal trauma from home. The film really captures the pain and grief that effects everyone within a town that endures such tragedies. This film will most likely go down as one of the most important and relevant films of 2013

Could have been a hit...

[coolfun-06513 · 3/10 · 11 November 2020]

The fact that Lax is a fake neo N4z! doesn't change the story at all. Those flashbacks when he did horrible things does not matter in the film and should have just been removed. The movie also could have been more realistic. "There has never been a minor put on death row in America" is completely false. George Stinney was a 14 year old boy who was put to death row at the age of fourteen Andreas proven innocent 70 years later.

The movie had a lot of potential. I believe it should have been more in depth with the main character (Herman)'s life and backstory to what caused him to do what he did.

A Must See Social Commentary

[aimeemurillo2013 · 10/10 · 6 February 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.

This movie stimulates the conversation.

[GingeryPsychNP · 5/10 · 22 February 2023]

This movie only touched the surface of beginning to delve into the multi-faceted subject of school shootings. I feel like this particular movie is somewhat shallow with it's portrayal of the cause of mass shootings. Bullying is an important part of the problem, however, it is only part of the picture. There are so many more reasons that our society is plagued with this violence.

The shooter's arrogant attitude he exhibited during the shooting and during the interview process was quite a contrast to the hurt and shame he must have been feeling as his classmates made fun of him. Human emotions, just like the reasons that thes events continue to occur are so complex. But this movie stimulates the conversation. The Violence Project is a research database and research center that has important information about mass shooters and shootings for anyone interested.

Review of Hello Herman

[DavidMizzell · 10/10 · 14 January 2013]

Michelle Danner's Hello Herman explores the controversial topic of school violence and homicide with a fictional story about a boy named Herman, who is bullied to the point of bringing a gun to school and murdering several of his classmates. The story parallels non-fictional events, however, such as the 1999 Columbine High School massacre as well as the 2012 Taft Union High School shooting. That being said, the film holds a major significance in regards to addressing pressing contemporary issues, as it touches on potential causes and remedies for the problem of violence in youth culture. Are video games these days too violent? Are bullies and teachers too insensitive? Are parents too uninvolved in their children's lives? Should teenagers be punished or psychologically treated and rehabilitated after committing such heinous acts? The audience is prompted to ask itself these questions and more as Herman relays major life events and circumstances up to and including the moment he massacred about forty students and faculty at his high school to a reporter for an online news story. However, the movie does not answer these questions or appear to provide a viewpoint of its own, as it establishes itself as an unbiased impetus for discussion of an all too common phenomenon. We, as a society, are left to decide how to address this issue, as Hello Herman brings high school violence to light seemingly in attempts to further push communities all over the world to stop ignoring the topic and start seeking solutions. Overall, I would highly recommend seeing this film, as Michelle Danner does an excellent job directing this haunting tale of the potentially severe consequences of bullying.