The House I Live In is a dense, multi-layered essay-style exploration of the tragically ineffectual ‘war on drugs’ policy, which continues to tear apart neighbourhoods and ruin countless lives in the US. Director Eugene Jarecki begins with the personal and quickly expands to the political, interweaving stories of the raw frontline experiences of law enforcement, drug dealers in crack neighbourhoods, activists whose families have been devastated, and inmates serving life sentences. What emerges is a bleakly confronting portrait of the American justice system gone awry and the underprivileged masses who are sucked into a ruthless, classist, and racist machine; all while the black market economy of narcotics continues to flourish.