Sing Sing (2024)

In the thirty years since its release, it has been nearly unanimous across the globe that there is no other film about prison that can be any better than The Shawshank Redemption (it has sat at the top of the Top 250 IMDB list since I was in High School.)

I am not arguing against that (it is one of the very few movies you can find any dislikers for). I bring it up only because it gives a warm feeling of sorts that you would not get in many movies (let alone one about prison). That feeling does not come around often, and no other film about prison has passed that on to me since. Enter Sing Sing.

As the title suggests, Sing Sing takes place at the famous prison in New York. The film puts its focus on the members of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), an actual program used to help inmates put on stage shows. One of the RTA’s main members is John (Colman Domingo) aka “Divine G”. Along with outside volunteer Brent (Paul Raci), they embark on the next production, “Breaking the Mummy’s Code”. The rest of the group is mainly real life former inmates who are alumni of the program.

Astonishingly, the film took only about 19 days to film (Domingo did this between his filming of both The Color Purple and Rustin). That is remarkable for a film that has a lot more to do with just acting in theater. It quickly becomes clear to the viewer that the inmates (again, most of whom are playing themselves), are learning how to be themselves for the first time in a long time. Maybe ever. As someone who was in theater in college, I can confer that acting classes can be very therapeutic (there is one scene where a former inmate actually comes back to visit the group.)

Despite a solid career, Domingo really has not been a household name until the last few years (I first saw him on episodes of Fear the Walking Dead.) He was nominated last year for the aforementioned Rustin, and will most likely be nominated here again. It will be well deserved, as it may be the best performance of his I have seen to date. It is one thing for an actor to become his/her character. It is another for them to maintain said character’s emotional arc with the right amount of tempo and fluidity.

Yet even with Domingo’s fantastic performance, he may not be the one you remember the most leaving the theater. That honor would most likely go to Clarence Maclin (“Divine Eye”). One of the many alumni playing themselves (I know I have stated that already, but it is still so remarkable), his is a stand out performance more than worthy of awards consideration.

Parents, the movie is R mainly for swearing (I mean, it takes place in a prison). There is no sexual content and some minor violence. Make of that what you will, but I think mature teens would be okay.

It is also noteworthy that the screenplay (by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, the latter also being the film’s director) does give just enough insight into why certain characters are in the prison to begin with, but never dives deep into unnecessary exposition, resulting in a nearly perfectly paced piece of celluloid. My only minor issue is the title: I feel it is a little too straight forward for such a poetic film, although I admit to not knowing what else one would call it (“Breaking the Mummy’s Code” would indeed be too abstract).

Still, this is a film that can be added to the list of rare films that have gotten me to tear up at some point during my viewing, and that is just one of many reasons why this is certainly one of the best films of the year.

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