An uplifting story of art’s ability to heal and redeem

By M. Faust

There can’t be many adult Americans who won’t recognize “Sing Sing”as the name of an American maximum security prison, perhaps the best known one next to Alcatraz. Titling a film “Sing Sing” certainly lets prospective viewers know where it is likely to be set, but the name is otherwise almost counterproductive in letting you know what kind of a story to expect. 

American movies set in prisons tend to be a type of horror story, depicting hellholes where you would never, ever want to find yourself. You certainly wouldn’t expect the opposite—where would we be if people started thinking of prison as a suitable place to kick back and relax for a few years? But there is certainly room for serious films that explore the emotional toll of incarceration, along with efforts at rehabilitation. 

“Sing Sing” is a fictional story woven from snippets of real events connected with a program called Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA). Started at Sing Sing in 1996, RTA employs theater professionals to form workshops for prisoners. The workshops produce two plays per year, but the real goal is in the process, using artistic techniques to help prisoners develop interpersonal skills. Prisoners who have gone through the program and been released show a substantially lower rate of recidivism than other parolees. 

The film starts in media res as the RTA group finishes a successful production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and starts planning its next play. At the center of the movie is John “Divine G” Whitfield (Colman Domingo), an educated and literate prisoner who has published a novel and written several plays. Although the program is headed by an outside professional and run democratically by its members, he clearly views himself as an elder brother to the others, offering advice and enlisting new members. 

One of these is Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, a hardcase who would seem to have little use for RTA. We first see him shaking down another inmate for money (one of the few scenes that comes from the standard repertoire of prison movie cliches). But Divine G sees something in him that could thrive on stage, and persuades him to join the troupe. 

Working from a screenplay by Clint Bentley and director Greg Kwedar from a story they developed with Macin and the real Divine Eye, Sing Sing is loosely plotted; its story points mostly serve as pegs to hang emotional explorations of its characters. Most of the cast, including Maclin, are former prisoners playing versions of themselves. To say that they all hold their own with Domingo, a Tony and Emmy winner and Oscar nominee, is high praise indeed. 

Working in 16mm, cinematographer Pat Scola films in a verite style, giving much of the film a documentary feel. Often the lovely but sparingly used score by Bryce Dessner is the only thing to connect us to the standard experience of moviegoing. 

If your plans for the holiday weekend include a trip to the movies, this is the one to see. 

M. Faust is long-time film critic and Contributor to the Buffalo Hive.