Sing Sing
Review by Mark Woodring
Honestly, I wasn’t exactly sure what this film was about going in. I knew it starred Colman Domingo and was about prison.
After that, I knew nothing.
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then use the player to listen as he and Ryan discuss their reaction to the movie in more depth. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
105 Minutes, Rated R
Written by John H. Richardson, Brent Buell, and Clint Bentley
Directed by Greg Kwedar
Synopsis:
Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.
Man, I have never been happier to go in to a movie blind. Wow.
First, I’m not going to give a lot of spoilers here, because I absolutely don’t want to diminish the journey the film takes you on, so let’s just hit some high bpoints really quickly.
The RTA program (Rehabilitation Through the Arts) is a real program, and Sing Sing is based on a lot of those characters and events. That puts this one in the “inspired by true events” category.
Colman Domingo’s character, John “Divine G” Whitfield, is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and ex-convinct who leads a troupe of fellow inmates through various theater productions in Sing Sing prison.
Most of the other characters we meet are played by ex-convicts, as well, which adds layers of depth to the film that are just fantastically heartbreaking.
Sing Sing feels like it should absolutely be fiction, because so many things feel familiar about this rendering of prison life when you compare it to other films, but again, it’s real.
As we watch old members of the troupe help newer (and rougher, both in skill and behavior) players adjust to the difference between life “in the yard” and time on the stage, we see the incredible barricades that must be put up in order to survive their incarceration, and how difficult they can be to bring down, even for something they want to do. Imagine the difficulty in removing those barriers to readjust to life outside the walls, when or if their time comes to leave.
Colman Domingo is in the midst of a career explosion. Always a working actor, the last couple of years have seen his profile rise, first with his Oscar-nominated performance as Best Actor from Netflix’s Rustin, and now this intense character drama where he is literally, both as himself and Divine G, shepherding their respective projects through to completion.
I don’t know if the world deserves Colman Domingo, that’s how good he has been the last few years. His innate humanity, coupled with his undeniable skill and presence on screen, makes him demand our attention, even in quiet moments.
It’s beautiful. He’s fantastic.
Sing Sing should be on your radar, and will certainly be garnering talk come awards season.
It really is that good.
Sing Sing hits theaters August 16 and stars Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Sean San Jose, Paul Raci, David Giraudy, Patrick Griffin, Mosi Eagle, James Williams, and Sean Dino Johnson.
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