Among the opening visuals of the movie Sing Sing, a bird perches on barbed wire looking into a peaceful prison yard. Aside from the wire, high walls, and guard towers, it could be anywhere—until a blaring siren shatters the peace and prisoners inside the walls drop to their bellies, arms spread wide.
This reality is in stark contrast to life outside the walls of the prison named in the title.
Sing Sing offers other glimpses of life inside: small cells; searches that leave a jumbled mess; bullying, wheeling, and dealing in the prison yard; a six-inch-square opening in a steel barrier that allows an otherwise rare unobstructed view beyond the walls; and, here, a theater program begun three decades ago.
Here, in the process of working together to choose a play, hold auditions, learn lines, rehearse, and perform, men learn to approach each other differently, to accept and express feelings more calmly and with greater authenticity, and to give and receive help from each other. More importantly, they learn to see themselves and each other as human beings, to love themselves and each other, and to experience redemption in the process.
Their interpersonal skills having grown substantially through their experiences, prisoners in Rehabilitation Through the Arts, the real-life prison arts program depicted in the film, experience a recidivism rate of just 3%, compared with 60% for released prisoners nationwide.
The movie is inspirational and heartwarming, and you will not leave the theatre unmoved.”
Sing Sing could be a stark experience, but is instead one of the most transformative movies now playing. Director Greg Kwedar, who co-wrote the screenplay with Clint Bentley, takes viewers along on a rollercoaster of emotions and expletives, in the process creating a movie that is both inspiring and profoundly encouraging.
The stories are riveting. We are witness to prison yard talk, play discussions and workshops, colorful sets and costumes, a specially written play blending humor with an ancient Egyptian’s quest through time to find his “Mummy,” performance excerpts from other RTA plays, personal transformations, parole hearings, vulnerable and tender conversations, and even a natural death.
Inspiring for all of us, not just prisoners, the film beautifully captures the characters’ emotional growth individually, in subgroups, and as a troupe. We’re with them as they support each other through losses and celebrate each other’s gains.
The cast is strong, and includes both professional actors and prisoner alumni of RTA. Colman Domingo offers a calm, supportive presence playing Divine G, the most seasoned in the program. Divine G’s neighbor, Mike Mike (Sean San Jose) brings humor and eases the burdens of prison life. Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin (playing himself) is a prison yard tough in his first experience of the program. Sean Dino “D Dan” Johnson and Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez also play themselves, and the real John “Divine G” Whitfield plays a bit role.
Paul Raci plays a professional director who helps the men through the creative process, and uses guided meditation to help them access their characters’ emotions. We must agree with this character when he says “Healing for the world starts right here behind the walls of Sing Sing.”
Sing Sing the movie is inspirational and heartwarming, and you will not leave the theatre unmoved.
Editor’s Note: Sing Sing is now playing at The SLO Film Center at the Palm Theatre.