Sing Sing

This movie had me crying, smiling, laughing, and feeling really good. I feel like this is a film for humanity. People are just people at the end of the day. I love the hope that this movie had me feeling. I'm not sure that I'd have picked this one to see in theaters, but was just aghast at how beautiful the film is. I know nothing of awards and when those decisions are made. I'd be absolutely shocked if this film does not the board. The characters come off as genuine and are utterly love able. I was very surprised to learn more about the cast at the end of the film and it had me crying all the more. Happy tears. I enjoyed that the characters were raw in their performances and I just cannot say it enough. This movie is big and feels so important. Hope feels nice.

While this new independent film distributed by A24 is set inside a prison in New York, it is less of a "prison movie" in the conventional sense and more of an emotionally impactful and inspiring drama about how art--particularly theater--can rehabilitate people in need of rehabilitation. The film's depiction of this issue is genuine and heartfelt, and forms the cornerstone to a generally engaging story. Colman Domingo plays the protagonist, who is incarcerated but helps lead the prison theatre group.

The film takes a bit of time to truly get going, but it still remains gripping and engaging. Domingo's performance is great, showing understated emotion in a way that makes a strong impact on the viewer, while also radiating a deep sense of compassion. The supporting actors are all excellent as well, and many of the supporting cast members apparently have been formerly incarcerated. The incorporation of the theatre program into the narrative creates comic relief, but also pathos and powerful bonding between the inmates and the program director. "Sing Sing" isn't perfect, as the character development of the supporting characters could have been improved, but its beating heart and thoughtful, humane tone is genuinely moving and memorable. Gladly recommended. 8/10.

Rating: 8.7 Overall, a powerful movie that shows how inmates are still humans despite their mistakes as the movie uses alumni from Sing Sing's RTA program to deliver this strong message on redemption, all lead by a great performance from Colman Domingo.

Very Good Direction (The direction on a macroscale is very good as they really set the scene and the weight the setting has on the characters, especially how they are secluded from the free world; the direction on a microscale is great as you see all the performances elevated in the interpersonal scenes since this is where you see the trauma these characters are facing as they fight for their humanity; the storytelling is good as he lets the actors play and be storytellers (using their personal experiences to shape their characters); he builds tension very well as the whole movie is about building an emotional connection with these characters, and you are invested in what happens with their fight for their freedom), Very Good Acting (Great from Colman Domingo (A real commanding performance as he is the leader of the cast and brings out the best in everyone, showing a wide range of emotions to show how the characters are still human beings despite their mistakes), Good from the rest of the cast (The entire cast gives very grounded, multidimensional performances as they use their personal experiences in Sing Sing and RTA to create their characters and convey their messages/struggles)), Very Good Story (The concept is very unique as it is a semi-autobiographical take on finding a safe place in a traumatic environment, and the movie shows how the characters continue to fight for their freedom and humanity; the plot structure is laid out very well; flow between sequences is good; character writing is great as you care for these characters and their struggle, and by the end, you root for them to grow and earn their freedom), Very Good Screenplay (The dialogue is good for the most part (even though it is a bit overt at times) and emulates how people in a maximum security penitentiary would talk, and the dialogue is filled with a lot of emotion at times that invokes feelings out of the audience; the humor is used well to help lighten the mood and show multiple dimensions of the characters; the symbolism is heavily prevalent as the movie is a huge metaphor about finding humanity in a place that tries to take it from you, and it deals a lot with how humans may be flawed people, but there is still good in those who try to redeem themselves for the better; the foreshadowing is decently prevalent), Good Score (Helps with establishing the mood), Good to Very Good Cinematography (Filled with a lot of beautiful shots and shows the large distance between the penitentiary and the free world), Good Editing (Used well in the context of the movie), , , Very Good Production Design (They send a strong message by filming the movie at Sing Sing (and this most likely helps the cast as they convey the trauma they felt from being there)), Pacing is the right pace, Climax is very emotional as it is a key point in many of the characters' lives as they fight for their freedom as well as their peace, Tone is very emotional as the semi-biographical feel paints this drama as very grounded (but still has other flavors to holistically portray the characters), It is very powerful that they had the cast filled with alumni from the program as it made the performances feel very realistic; saw the US premiere at SXSW.

I was incredibly moved by this film. I went into it was no expectations other than to be blown away by Coleman Domingo, who always delivers a strong performance in every film he's in. I was most taken by the performance by his costar Clarence Maclin, Who brought such tenderness and compassion to his character and the other characters. It's really great to know that some of the other actors in the film are also formerly incarcerated men in the RTA program, and that everyone involved with the production has some equity with the film. I think with real life stories like this that is the way to produce a film in the most authentic and rewarding way possible.

"We're here to become human again." Rehabilitation Through the Arts at Sing Sing Correctional Facility

Occasionally a movie comes on the scene, and not usually in the summer, so naturalistic and unadorned, so brimming with humanity and the restorative nature of the arts, that it cries out, "Don't forget me at Oscar time!" Such is Sing Sing, set in 2005, when John H, Richardson's Esquire article The Sing Sing Follies was published.

Notorious as the prison was, its theater activity, like the therapy program at Folsom prison, provided a ragtag group the chance to mount theater productions aimed at elevating their spirits and their very souls. The sterling docudrama, headed by Oscar-winning Colman Domingo as founder Divine G, and real-life Clarence "Divine Eye" Macklin as Divine Eye, is so authentic and artful, that nothing this year can quite compare. Most of the cast either are alumni or current residents of the prison, where "Kill or be Killed" was a disturbing mantra, changing now as: "To put on nice clothes and dance around. To enjoy the things that are not in our reality."

The troupe creates a bizarre production, Breakin' the Mummy's Cord, that includes among others Shakespeare, time travel, and Freddy Kreuger. The transformative element is best exemplified by Divine Eye, who discovers an artistic side that far eclipses any success he may have had as a covert art dealer.

Never during the film does even the muted violence of many other top-rated tales like Shawshank or Alcatraz appear, assuring the elevation of spirit that accompanies the arts. "Sing Sing" is itself a work of art crying out to be considered the best movie of the year so far and one of the finest prison movies ever offered on the screen.

"I don't write comedies. I write satires," Divine G.