The House I Live In

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  • Opened October 5, 2012 
  • 1 hr 48 min
  • NR
  • Parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 16+. More on child suitability

  • Filmed in more than 20 states, THE HOUSE I LIVE IN captures heart-wrenching stories from individuals at all levels of America’s War on Drugs. From the dealer to the grieving mother, the narcotics officer to the senator, the inmate to the federal judge, it offers a penetrating look inside America's longest war, laying bare its ominous inner workings and profound human rights implications. While recognizing the seriousness of drug abuse, the film investigates the tragic errors and shortcomings that turned a matter of public health into a criminal justice opportunity, earning the United States the dubious distinction of being the world's leading jailer and giving rise to a vast industry of mass incarceration that feeds upon the lives of poor and minority Americans. Digging deeper, the film examines how political and economic corruption over forty years have perpetuated the War on Drugs despite persistent and recurring evidence of its moral, economic, and practical failures. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Michelle Alexander, Shaniqua Benitez, Mark Bennett, Mike Carpenter, Larry Cearly, Eric Franklin, Glendon Goldsboro, Maurice Haltiwanger, Carl Hart, Nannie Jeter, Anthony Johnson, Kevin Ott, Susan Randall, David Simon, Julie Stewart, Fabio Zuena
  • Director: Eugene Jarecki
  • Genres: Documentary

What's the Buzz?

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Fans say Go
445 fans
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Critics say Go
77 out of 100
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Fan Reviews

No
too repetitive

by chermysanskawallahilla

the main ideas in the film are solid, but the film just goes on and on and on covering the same sentiments and anecdotes, repeatedly. Also, the more interesting questions are simply left largely...

So-so
The House I live In

by keivamorgan

This film was very informative for the persons who had no knowledge of the impact of drugs, full circle. This is my life, the part that I try not to dwell on. Drug rehabilatation centers were not...

Must Go!
The House I Live In

by kmartin108

Please see this compelling documentary. Mass incarcerations from the drug war may well be the most critical issue facing our country at this time. The humanitarian and economic consequences are far...

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Critic Reviews

100
San Francisco Chronicle
|

Jarecki takes a highly original approach to create a compelling, thought-provoking look at a highly relevant and controversial topic. Read full review

100
Entertainment Weekly
| Owen Gleiberman

David Simon, creator of "The Wire," who argues that the targeting of minorities, fused with mandatory sentencing, has turned the war on drugs into ''a holocaust in slow motion.'' Read full review

88
Charlotte Observer
| Lawrence Toppman

I've heard that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. By that standard, the U.S. "War on Drugs" seems crazy indeed in The House I Live In. Read full review

88
Chicago Sun-Times
| Roger Ebert

Jarecki's film makes a shattering case against the War on Drugs. Read full review

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Photos

Kevin Ott in "The House I Live In."