Sing Sing

Perhaps it should have been a musical -- which Buell’s play originally was. But even without the tunes, you’ll likely be moved at some point, especially if you’ve ever experienced the pleasures and challenges of putting on a show.

Having pared away nearly every detail that doesn’t advance the plot, Kwedar and Bentley rely heavily on their lead actors to fill the ensuing breach. In this, at least, their instincts are sure.

Colman Domingo is at the peak of his considerable powers in Greg Kwedar’s inspirational, fact-based prison drama Sing Sing.

Brimming with compassion and punctuated by humour, this is a moving look at prison and prisoners. It’s both infuriating and inspirational to see so much beauty in such a harsh environment.

In a story about art’s transformative potential, it’s the wondrous slow bloom of their bond that most distils Sing Sing’s poignant power.

Mixing real actors and amateurs can be messy, but thanks to a script by Kwedar and Clint Bentley that plays to everyone’s strengths, it works seamlessly here.

If you’re an awards group that hands out a prize for best ensemble acting in a movie, there’s not a lot of reason to look further this year than Sing Sing.

The film is one that is concerned with these imprisoned men as human figures striving to find corporeality in a harsh world. Within its gentle hopefulness, it feels quietly revolutionary too.

There's nothing corny or bleeding-heart about Sing Sing's promotion of theater as a healing force for the working-class man's soul...This movie makes a powerful case for the kind of programs that are currently on the federal chopping block.

...[art] can be transformative. Not immediately, not directly, but it is. And I think [Sing Sing] shows it in a very sensitive and very, very emotional way. [Full review in Spanish]