By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Greg Kwedar
Starring: Clarence Maclin | Colman Domingo | David Giraudy | Paul Raci | Sean San Jose
Year: 2024
Running time: 105
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28479262/reference/
Michael says: “Colman Domingo stars as an inmate wrongly convicted and incarcerated at a maximum security prison. While working tirelessly on his clemency appeal, he is a motivating force behind the Rehabilitation Through the Arts: Prison Arts Program. While recruiting new members one of the ‘bosses’ of the prison yard expresses interest in the program, and despite some reservations, he is allowed to join and finds the program is effective in ways far beyond the artistic.
“While I was expecting a more formulaic, Hollywood-style, feel-good film I was incredibly impressed by the skillfully constructed screenplay and the beautiful performances by not only Domingo, but the real-life former participants of the program, formerly incarcerated men who recreate their roles (or in one notable case, create roles of other real life men) to beautiful and emotional effect. Director Greg Kwedar (JOCKEY) and his fellow screenwriters convey the complexity and humanity of incarcerated men, and the way the arts can tap into their deeper emotions elegantly, capturing the depth of emotion with great power and without resorting to sentimentality. 4 ½ cats“
Julie says: “This was a wonderful movie and Michael’s review is on point. I was glad to have seen this movie and it definitely zeroed right into my heart in a powerful way (without resorting to sentimentality) as Michael pointed out. 4.5 cats”