Sing Sing

With the growing praise I have seen given to Sing Sing, I was intrigued to check this one out. And fortunately my local arthouse theater was showing a screening of this movie. Glad to say that this definitely did live up to the hype! A powerful movie about the power of art, performance, and expression when one is trapped in a hopeless situation, Sing Sing has an almost deceptively simple story about an acting troupe in the titular prison, yet that simplicity makes way for a heartbreakingly empathetic movie that gives grace and humanity to those incarcerated, and has some of the most achingly human performances I've seen all year. It is a movie that is very critical of the dehumanization of the incarcerated within the U. S. penal system and the injustices found within the bureaucracy of the justice system, yet it never does deliver this message heavy handed and instead letting the audience parse out the subtext and letting rooms for the intimacy of the story to speak volumes. And it is an intimate story, from the personal cinematography to the rich performances, it feels like you really do get to know the world and these characters on a personal manner. The performances are all around very good, feeling completely natural and grounded, and also really showcasing the actual RTA program with many of the actors being former inmates who took part in the program. But really it just showcases Colman Domingo's incredible performance, as he shows off an incredible range that goes from subtle to big, grounded to theatrical, humorous and heartbreaking, and all around incredibly moving. Maybe the performance of the year for me, and I really hope he gets traction this coming awards season because this certainly deserves the recognition he got for Rustin, but with a much better movie and performance that certainly deserves the win! I was also impressed by Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin, who is one of the former inmates who participated in the RTA program and was brought in for his film debut, and is really great acting off of Domingo and have plenty of great scenes with him. Overall, Sing Sing is just an intimate yet powerful movie that speaks volumes through its small-scale intimacy, and an emotionally strong portrait of the power of the arts and hope in the darkest of times. Definitely check this out when you get the chance!

An excellent film all around. Strikes the right tone and pacing between the gritty reality and the human potential for good. Very little to improve in this film. The script, film making craft, and acting all support the story very well. The only reason I don't rate it a 10 is that I have no direct experience with prisons and can't confirm its accuracy about life there. Everything that is visible in the film is handled well. Also an important film in that it shows the consequences of mediocre parole boards and injustices in sentencing. See this if you have an interest in prisons, the justice system, rehabilitation, or theater.

I was persuaded to see this last night in Sheffield, largely based on glowing reviews by the press. But it was a big disappointment. Jesserrifkin's review was bang on about the lack of character background. I could not relate to any of the convicts because there was hardly any mention of: What their crime was, where they were from, their family or how long they'd been inside. Very few of them were filmed in their cells so we couldn't get any idea of their life behind bars. The film starts with a group drama workshop as they calmly discuss their recent production. This threw me off completely. No bars? No guards? It looked nothing like a maximum security prison, more like a summer theatre camp. We see them briefly lining up for something and one guard is a bit mean about their language. Wow, scary stuff. Then there is some kind of unexplained alarm that goes off and they drop to the ground. But there was no menace, no hardships, no violence, no suffering. Prison movies need this to at least offer a contrast to the nicer moments. Think of Andy Dupre in Shawshank. His misery of solitary confinement then his joy at playing Mozart. Sing Sing had nothing like this. And also, where is this place? There were a few outside shots of a train going past and a river. I needed at least one good drone shot so I could understand the context of the location. There were also scenes filmed where it looked more like a factory than a prison. Some random window where the two main characters met for a chat. A grassy bank where they met for another chat. Eh? Where are the guards? Where is the security? Finally, the drama skills demonstrated by the men. I have been in amateur theatre as a director and trying to get boys and men with no acting experience to open up and express themselves is extremely difficult. Yet these convicts were completely free of inhibition and able to handle Shakespeare (of all things!) like they'd come straight from RADA. Very hard to swallow. So, overall, good acting I suppose but a self indulgent, incredulous movie that forgot what it was supposed to do: entertain an audience. On reflection it would have been a reasonably interesting documentary, nothing more.

This was a very competently and professionally made film that is somewhat marred by a lack of major plot elements. The film itself is mostly solid on all technical fronts. The dialogue is real and raw, the arc and pacing is just right, and the acting is extremely solid. However, in none of these facets does the film truly excel. Unfortunately, it seems that way for the entire film. There is a lot of good things happening: layered conversations and meaning, nice musical choices, stakes understood. However, nothing really exemplary. Perhaps this film's greatest sin is its dedication to the genre of character driven drama. I can truly appreciate a slow burn, but there are long stretches of the film in which nothing happens and, at some level, have no staked outcome on the story. Perhaps this is a give an take -- the ambiance of the film works great, combined with the shaky-cam style of photography gives a real and raw energy. The cost is that a central theme, or plot if there is one, is muddied. In the end, this is a good film that I'm sure will be a major hit with some people. It is surely worth a watch, but for me it ends a little bit boring.