Missed Targets: Danner’s Film After-school Special Fodder
Reveling in the fact that it was made before the latest rash of mass shootings, including 2012’s Aurora, Colorado’s theater massacre, Michelle Danner’s ungainly sophomore effort, Hello Herman still fails to have a timely edge or any other quality of merit, for that matter. Rather, this poorly constructed social issue film is fitted for the same destiny as one of its characters as is outlined by the main protagonist in the film, a footnote to a rather lengthy list of unremarkable footnotes. That’s not to diminish the profound tragedy that is the result of such horrific violence, and exploring the how and the why of these incidents is of paramount importance. While Danner avoids exploitative tactics, her film, unfortunately lacks any kind of elegance or finesse, instead bluntly bludgeoning its audience with the obvious, exuding all the grace of high school theatrical production.
Reveling in the fact that it was made before the latest rash of mass shootings, including 2012’s Aurora, Colorado’s theater massacre, Michelle Danner’s ungainly sophomore effort, Hello Herman still fails to have a timely edge or any other quality of merit, for that matter. Rather, this poorly constructed social issue film is fitted for the same destiny as one of its characters as is outlined by the main protagonist in the film, a footnote to a rather lengthy list of unremarkable footnotes. That’s not to diminish the profound tragedy that is the result of such horrific violence, and exploring the how and the why of these incidents is of paramount importance. While Danner avoids exploitative tactics, her film, unfortunately lacks any kind of elegance or finesse, instead bluntly bludgeoning its audience with the obvious, exuding all the grace of high school theatrical production.
- 6/7/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
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