Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a real maximum security prison in New York State. In 1996 the Rehabilitation Through Arts (RTA) program was founded at Sing Sing by Katherine Vockins, aiming to recognize and emphasize the humanity of incarcerated people. The founding members in the RTA program at the facility wanted to write and perform plays for their fellow inmates and approached Katherine for help with this dream. Directed by Greg Kwedar, the film focuses on the real story of Sing Sing’s RTA program and stars Colman Domingo as one of the RTA’s founding members, John “Divine G” Whitfield.
Incarcerated for a murder he didn’t commit, Divine G spends his time writing novels and plays, participating in the RTA program, and researching law in an effort to exonerate himself and get out. He’s also a driving force behind rehabilitating the other prisoners in the RTA program, a program so popular that there’s a waiting list of inmates hoping to take part in their next production. One of these RTA hopefuls is Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, played by himself, wanting a chance to perform after coming across a copy of William Shakespear’s King Lear in the prison’s library and being inspired by it. Divine Eye is a tough guy – quick to anger – and initially feels that the exercises the other inmates participate in during the RTA program are goofy, but he sticks around thanks to encouragement from Divine G and support from the program’s director Brent Buell (Paul Raci).
What follows is an incredible story of persistence and redemption. Sing Sing is such a great example of men who are able to be vulnerable with each other in a setting and circumstance that you wouldn’t expect men to be vulnerable in. It doesn’t matter to the film why each of these men is in prison, what matters is the fact that they are still human and that they are able to use the arts as a way to remind themselves and each other of that fact. What really drives this point home is that the majority of the supporting cast are, like Clarence Maclin, former inmates at Sing Sing who were members of the very RTA program that the film is about, all playing themselves. Despite the film being named for the prison, Sing Sing is about the men inside of it and the power that the arts have to change and inspire people, no matter where they are.
Illustrating this point from the very first scene, the film opens with Colman Domingo’s Divine G on a stage, commandingly performing the closing monologue from A Midsummer Night’s Dream to raucous applause from his fellow inmates. Domingo’s performance from beginning to end is vulnerable, heartfelt, and determined and it was a delight to watch. Despite Domingo’s incredible performance, the best actor in the film is Clarence Maclin. Giving a performance that is truly transformative in his very first on-screen role, Maclin’s slow turn from angry and apprehensive to sorrowful and contemplative to joyous and hopeful is a sight to behold and I consider myself truly lucky to have witnessed it in Sing Sing. Not to be outdone, the entire cast of formerly-incarcerated RTA members not only add an authenticity to the film but elevate it with the skill that they display as the film progresses. As an extra treat that drives home the real story behind the movie, the credits feature footage from the actual, real life play that these inmates put on that inspired the story of the film.
One of my favorite films this year, Sing Sing’s ability to showcase the power of the arts is second to none. It shows that the very act of participating in the arts can be rehabilitating – that no matter who you are or where you came from, you can make an impact through the arts just as much as they can impact you.
Score: 10/10
Sing Sing
Directed by: Greg Kwedar
Release Date: August 16, 2024
Starring: Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci, Sean San José
Rating: R
Running Time: 107 minutes
Synopsis: Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group with other incarcerated men. When a wary outsider joins the group, the men decide to stage their first original comedy, in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors.
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