Sing Sing is a film that rings true. And for good reason. This American prison drama sometimes adopts the codes of a documentary, in order to emphasize what is authentic: the majority of its cast is made up of ex-inmates who participated in the RTA (Rehabilitation Through the Arts) theater program, while they were incarcerated at the famous Sing Sing prison in New York State.
Greg Kwedar’s film, co-written with his regular collaborator Clint Bentley (Transpecos, Jockey), was inspired by the journeys of Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, who plays himself, and John Whitfield, aka Divine G, co-founder of the RTA program, admirably played by Colman Domingo.
Whitfield, who is contesting his conviction for a murder he says he didn’t commit, recruits Maclin when he’s about to stage a new play. Divine G is a published author, revered by some of his fellow inmates for his acting and writing skills. But his natural authority in the troupe is undermined by Divine Eye, who suggests staging a comedy instead of Whitfield’s new play, which will take the form of a wacky and forced marriage between the characters of Hamlet, Robin Hood and Freddy Krueger, in the Egypt of the pharaohs…
Between rehearsals, Whitfield refines his argument for a possible review of his sentence and advises his fellow inmates on their parole applications. Maclin, meanwhile, plays his role as the tough guy in the yard, consumed by a rage that threatens to disrupt the harmony of the troupe he has just joined.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY PRODUCTION
Colman Domingo, who plays John Whitfield, aka Divine G
The tensions between these two men with similar nicknames, but at opposite ends of the spectrum, are at the heart of Sing Singwhich may bring to mind the recent A triumph by Emmanuel Courcol, also inspired by the true story of a prison theater troupe, with Kad Merad in the role of the director. Greg Kwedar’s film stands out from better-known prison dramas (The Shawshank Redemptionin particular), in the sense that it flirts with social realism, without abandoning the usual codes of American independent cinema.
This closed-door drama with a very simple plot focuses on the daily lives of prisoners, their conditions of detention (the humiliating searches, the very strict instructions), but above all on their inner lives: their regrets, their remorse, their nostalgia for their “life before” and their apprehensions about a possible release.
It is a humane film about the restorative power of art and the escape that theater can provide from the brutal reality of a maximum security detention center. It is also a work about the rivalry and violence between these often broken men trying to rebuild themselves, as well as their solidarity and brotherhood in the face of adversity.
The music of Bryce Dessner (guitarist of the band The National), who we have known to be more subtle, can seem omnipresent. Greg Kwedar seeks to move and he succeeds, in the last third and in particular in a very touching final scene.
Nominated for an Oscar earlier this year for RustinColman Domingo excels in this nuanced role, which could earn him another finalist at the Hollywood awards ceremony. Clarence Maclin’s raw and menacing performance is remarkably truthful. Like this unpretentious film, which makes you cherish freedom.
Drama
Sing Sing
Greg Kwedar
With Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci
1 h 47