“I have been playing a role my whole life” one of the inmates says when musing on his participation in the prison theatrical society. Thinking about this line, it seems a very powerful metaphor for the movie.
We all have personas that we project to others, and this becomes heightened in uncompromising prison life, where how others perceive us is important for survival.
I am probably late to the party speaking about this production, but this film needs to be talked about more. It is outstanding.
“Divine G” imprisoned for a crime that he did not commit, joins a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men to create a comedy play. Stuck in Sing Sing prison in NY these men escape from reality through the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program.
They find meaning in the power of art that helps them change the way they think of others and themselves.
The actors are for the most part are former inmates who haven’t been on screen before, and they give tough, natural ad moving performances. That’s how good they are. They have this vulnerability, pureness and rawness that I find quite rare in today’s films. It’s brilliant. It is very poignant when you consider one of the actors, JJ Velazquez was exonerated after being wrongfully convicted in real life.
“This is my place,” an inmate says, and you can tell it is doing something good for these men and giving them some sort of purpose and escape. It also helps them to feel more human in a system that dehumanises people.
Colman Domingo as “Divine G” is the one recognised actor, and he plays the creator of the theatre group and helper of inmate’s legal battles. He is exceptional, and you can see how much of an amazing actor he is when he showcases empathy, frustration and a deep love of art, all from the confines behind prison walls. I thought what was so good about his performance was that that he did not overshadow any of the largely amateur ensemble cast around him and didn’t step on their toes.
The story revolves around the preparation for the six-monthly production. We get to see the auditions and the rivalries for roles, but mostly we see how their meetings offer them escape and meaning to the desperation of the lives.
Alongside this we see them trying to survive prison life and the trial and tribulations of their hope for probation or clemency.
The screenplay was written by Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley, and I thought they did an extraordinary job. There are a couple of monologues that prisoners “Mike Mike” and “Clarence Maclin” gave that had so much heart it brought tears to my eyes.
The director, Greg Kwedar who is quite new to the scene did a brilliant job with making an art film that is also very entertaining. The cinematography was gritty but stunning.
The way that he blended real shots of inmates performing on stage within the film was a lovely touch and it added a truthfulness to the story. Powerful stuff.
It didn’t need to be a big budget film. The script was everything and I loved how it used both street slang and the poetry of Shakespeare. Its uniqueness and independence made it into a strong compelling film.
The only criticism that I do have is that it is a tad too long and the ending is a bit too good to be true. Very Shawshank Redemption, without the escape.
However, it is one of the best movies that I have seen in a while, but I am partial to an independent film and a prison drama!
I’m glad it got nominated at the Golden Globes and now at the BAFTAs and I hope that it wins some awards this season.
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