Director Greg Kwedar (“Transpecos”) takes in his drama “Sing Sing” the audience behind the heavily secured gates of the real prison of the same name, located about 50 kilometers outside of New York City. However, there is a different world there than the one that we as film fans know from countless thrillers. After all, prison is so legendary because it has been a popular setting since the beginning of film history. Scenes were shot here for the early gangster film “Alias Jimmy Valentine” from 1915, and other legendary titles – from “Chicago – Angels with Dirty Faces” (1938) to “Kiss Of Death” (1995) – used the prison. But Kwedar's production deliberately breaks with the usual images that we are familiar with from pop culture.
Not once do you see the completely tattooed brutalists lifting weights in the courtyard of the prison, which has long since seemed obligatory for this subject. You never get the impression that just a “wrong” look or an argument over a box of fags could be enough to stab someone with a sharpened toothbrush. Of course, there are plenty of criminals and shady characters in “Sing Sing”. When we meet them, however, they seem long since broken by their existence behind bars and the knowledge that life goes on outside – without them. But “Sing Sing” also shows hope for a return to the “normal” world, which is made possible through rehabilitation.
Because the film tells a touching story that is always presented authentically and refreshingly without clichés, based on the real world RTA program (Rehabilitation Through The Arts) the prison based. This offers prisoners the opportunity to discover and develop new sides and talents in themselves through the creation and performance of plays, among other things. With the exception of Colman Domingo (“Rustin”) and Paul Raci (“Sound Of Metal”) as well as the theater mime Sean San Jose (“Cafe Blue Eyes”), who is far too rarely seen in films, the main cast consists almost entirely of former Sing Sing inmates , who participated in the RTA program and are free today.
The cast of “Sing Sing” also includes numerous real ex-prisoners.
At Sing Sing Correctional Facility, John (Colman Domingo) the star of the theater program for prisoners. He uses the stage experience he acquired as a teenager to lead the small group of inmates who put on shows for the other prisoners and the guards on an improvised stage in the dining room. John, convicted of a murder he did not commit, has been in prison for many years. His work as an actor alone gives him the strength to continue trying to prove his innocence and fight for rehabilitation.
New to the troupe is Divine Eye (Clarence Maclin), a hardened gangster who proposes a new project instead of the usual Shakespeare plays: a wild time travel comedy in which characters such as Hamlet, Freddy Krueger, ancient Egyptians, pirates and Roman gladiators meet each other. John, unaccustomed to having his leadership role challenged, struggles to accept the new situation – especially after his best friend and cellmate (Sean San Jose) suddenly dies and his carefully prepared application for release is once again rejected…
Documentary-like images are a strength
Anyone who has seen “A Triumph,” which was only released in German cinemas in 2022, will certainly immediately think of the French title, which is also about a theater troupe behind prison walls, when they hear “Sing Sing.” Emmanuel Courcol's film was also based on real events. Despite a similarly depressing setting and sad lives, he worked predominantly with comedic elements. Accordingly, the result was much lighter and more pleasing. Nevertheless – or precisely because of this – both films together would definitely make an interesting double feature.
Greg Kwedar filmed his work in just 18 days. The film was not filmed in the real Sing Sing, but in other abandoned detention centers in New York State and a high school auditorium. His chief cinematographer Pat Scola (“A Quiet Place: Day One”) shot on 16-millimeter film, mostly handheld and using almost exclusively natural light. He worked a lot with close-ups of faces and used GoPros for some scenes, whose recordings are reminiscent of surveillance camera images. All of this gives the whole thing an almost documentary feel, which contributes a lot to the feeling of authenticity and an oppressive atmosphere.
John is in his element on stage.
We are introduced to the characters in an elegant way quite early on through a very emotional scene: during an acting exercise, the civilian leader and director of the group, brilliantly portrayed by Paul Raci, has the participants sit in a circle and close their eyes. He asks her to remember what she feels is the perfect place and time in her life. He then asks them to take turns telling where their thoughts were at the moment. The little stories that the men describe in simple words are so moving, so real, that we as an audience almost see the emotions reflected in their eyes.
A little later in the film there is a verbal confrontation between one of the other actors and Divine Eye, who appears neither willing nor able to shed his street gang mentality. Then a third colleague begs him: “We have come together here to become human again, to dress in colorful clothes, to dance and to enjoy things that otherwise do not exist in our reality.” He calms Divine Eye down and brings him the Purpose of the theater group closer, at least temporarily. How much life behind bars can fundamentally change people – not only in their dealings with others, but also and above all with themselves – becomes clear here quite subtly but emphatically.
It's not just Colman Domingo who is enthusiastic
The usual excellent Colman Domingo, who was Oscar-nominated in 2024 for “Rustin”, is likely to be eligible for one or two awards again this time. The star of the Netflix hit “The Madness” knows how to captivate people with just a few looks, his facial expressions and little mannerisms like stroking his chin or playing with his glasses in wire frames. Above all, his expressive voice in the original English version ensures that the audience's interest is fully with him every time he is seen in front of the camera.
A real discovery, however, is the one playing an early version of himself Clarence Maclin in his acting debut. Maclin, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison for a robbery in his twenties, allows us to fully understand through his performance how the once angry criminal could become the man he is today: a social worker who works hard to help young people to protect people from difficult circumstances from slipping into crime or to help those who have already slipped into leaving this past behind them. The development of the relationship between John and Divine Eye, which was initially characterized by rivalry and mistrust, is the strongest and most touching element of this successful and watchable drama.
Conclusion: A moving film that impressively shows the prison world far from clichés with brilliant actors and strong camera work.