Sing Sing is the kind of movie one expects to be brutal going in. I did at times, and to an extent, it is. It’s also a film that aims to upend expectations. There’s no violence and the roughest thing about it is the language. Yet it is brutal, in the most raw and personal ways possible. It is also a beautiful and often hilarious film that might even leave you looking at the world in a different way. Sing Sing is a movie set in a maximum security prison, but it is not a prison drama. There are inmates, but it is not a movie about criminals. Sing Sing is a movie about art, its power, and its joy.
The film is based on the true story of John “Divine G” Whitfield (Colman Domingo), an inmate at Sing Sing who started a theater program to help other inmates process their emotions. After the group accepts their latest member, Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, he suggests they do a comedy instead of another drama (as prison life has enough drama as it is). The actual play they end up writing is so hilariously insane that I honestly don’t want to reveal it here. Even as the troupe prepares to make the audience laugh and spirits are high, Divine G is hoping to get out. He’s trying to prove his innocence, and may have actually found a way to do so.
Shot on grainy, dusty 16mm film with often handheld cameras, and with incredibly naturalistic performances, the movie often comes across as an uncovered documentary on the theater program itself. This also extends to the casting. Despite the presence of professional actors in the cast, such as Domingo and Paul Raci, the bulk of the inmates in the film are actually playing themselves from when they were incarcerated. This includes Divine Eye, who stands out with a revelatory performance that I feel a more established actor just couldn’t give. Not only does he convey an authentic sense of pain about prison life, but he’s also extremely funny. That said, one of the best things about this movie is Colman Domingo, who gives a performance that is both endearing and heartwrenching, though mainly for reasons I’d rather not spoil and leave you to discover on your own.
As mentioned, this film subverts a lot of expectations, from gut-punch moments to seemingly easy drama that, in a more conventional prison movie would be obvious, but doesn’t end up happening. It shouldn’t happen, either, because that’s not the point. Rather than enforce the cinematic status quo or even be regressive with its subject matter, it aims to present a way forward. It’s a point made clear early in the film itself, when Divine G confronts Divine Eye about the fact he has a knife hidden on him. To Divine G, this program is all these inmates have and it doesn’t take much to tear it all down. It’s a film that reminds us that, despite where they are, these are still people. In fact, most of them are real people, and real people can change for the better.
I thought I would enjoy Sing Sing, but this actually exceeded my expectations. It’s an incredible work of filmmaking and one of the best movies I’ve seen in recent memory. It’s both incredibly funny and incredibly sad, while touching upon a topic that I feel should get more attention. It’s a testament to the healing power of art that also confronts how we view those who society has seemingly thrown away. I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes a sleeper awards contender, and if it does, it absolutely deserves it.
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