The House I Live In

The war on drugs has failed. And though the money and lives circling the drain continue to increase exponentially, the results are largely unchanged since it began more than 40 years ago. Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight, The Trials of Henry Kissinger) looks at America's least-discussed lost war in the documentary The House I Live In, drawing testimonials from law enforcement on the street and in the courtroom; advocates for the decriminalization of pot; and even prisoners. There is much to tackle in the war on drugs and Jarecki covers a lot of ground. His main ax-grinding is reserved for what he perceives (and what a lot of evidence demonstrates) are laws that lead to disproportionate incarceration for inner-city African-Americans, with stiff sentences that entirely ruin young lives. It is a lot to absorb and Jarecki moves laterally a lot, but this is truly fascinating stuff.