A Powerful Drama About a Prison Theatre Troop

(101024) Sing Sing is a tough, tender and highly humanistic dramatic film about the world-famous Rehabilitation through the Arts (RTA) program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison in California. Through the program the prison created a theatre group comprised mostly of felons imprisoned for serious crimes that put-on shows in jails. Apparently the program really works, in contrast to the general population of which 60% eventually end back up in prison only 3% of RTA graduates return to jail. Most of the cast are actual real incarcerated prison actors and it makes the film infinitely more authentic than most other prison pictures. While a drama, the film often resembles a documentary and that documentary like feel is aided by the frequent use of shaky handheld cameras.

Sing Sing comes close to matching the all-time great American prison films like Cool Hand Look (1967), The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Green Mile (1999), although it does not equal to the brilliance of Jean Renoir’s The Grand Illusion (1937) or Robert Bresson’s A Man Escaped (1956).

The film was directed and written by Greg Kweder who also made the Indy film, Transpecos (2016) which kind of fell under the radar. He developed Sing Sing with his script partner Clint Bentley and it was based on The Sing Sing Follies article that appeared in Esquire magazine. Kweder and Bentley had also worked for the prison acting program as volunteers.

Sing Sing was put out by the A 24 company which has released many other innovative, award winning films such as Moonlight (2016), Hereditary (2018), Everything Everywhere all at Once (2022), Aftersun (2022), and The Whale (2022). This is probably the best film the company has put out this year and many critics predict that it will win several Oscar nominations. The film’s acting in general is outstanding and a best actor Oscar nomination for Coleman Domingo is basically a lock.

One of the best things about the film is the in jail performances which are good but not perfect, The cast members are great at not acting great which makes them more convincing in the film's context. The cast is a mix of both professional and amateur actors. The only somewhat big name here is the Tony and Emmy winning actor, Colman Domingo. Domingo gives a terrific performance which is just as impressive as the one he gave in Rustin (2023), for which he got a best actor Oscar nomination earlier this year. Audience members might also recognize him from his regular stint in the TV show, Fear of the Walking Dead (2015 to 2023), which he also has directed as well as Zola (2020), Selma (2014), If Beal Street Could Talk (2018) and the musical version of The Color Purple (2023) plus the current Euphoria (2017-present). Domingo shines in the role of Divine G, a man who received a prison sentence for twenty five years for a crime he did not commit.

His costar is the former drug dealer and inmate, Clarence Maclin who plays Clarence 'Divine Eye' Maclin. His performance almost matches Domingo's in dramatic intensity but Clarence has a more gruff and confrontational personality. The actors are managed and trained by a group leader played by Paul Rezo who is well known for his role in The Sound of Metal (2019). He plays a dynamic acting coach dedicated to elevating the lives of the inmates. You couldn’t ask for a better instructor. He and his actors devour everything to their plays because it’s all they have.

There is some conflict in the film that flares up occasionally. The film's character Clarence 'Divine Eye' Maclin is a variation of actor Clarence Maclin whose performance is fueled by his real life aggression which sent him off to prison for armed robbery. He has a rivalry with Coleman's "Divine G" which sends the two strong men into an ongoing conflict for the spotlight. They frequently clash but eventually develop a mutual respect for one another. Divine G, who has educated himself in law even helps Clarence prepare for his parole hearing.

In one of the most heart-breaking scenes, Coleman's obviously innocent Divine G. who has done everything right but is denied parole. Since he acts, the parole board thinks he is acting in order to get out and is not sincere in his apparent rehabilitation, this causes him to have a crisis of faith and he abandons acting.

There are some amusing moments in the film. After a bitter and ugly argument one of the prisoners pleads in a matter-of-fact manner. “We’re here to become human again and wear nice clothes.” The prisoners also collaborate on a play that a prisoner wrote which is a hilarious time travel story that combines parts of Hamlet, Blazing Saddles, Gladiator, and Back to the Future. I’d love to see this bizarrely combined Frankenstein monster like play.

Sing Sing is one of the most emotionally potent films of the year. It ends up celebrating creativity and it shows how the power of the imagination can be preserved even in the most horrible circumstances and with the worst obstacles.