By – Gareth Jones

For fans of redemption stories, real-life inspiration stories, Colman Domingo

Working in the Office of Service-Learning and Undergraduate Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, I have had the privilege to participate in the Donaldson Lecture Series, a 30 plus year program where professors and staff give lectures to incarcerated men at the Donaldson Correctional Facility.  I have had some of my most meaningful discussions with these students when I have presented lectures.  Alabama is notorious for some of the worst prisons in the United States as far as conditions and number of people incarcerated.  It is a broken system.  As such, I was very intrigued when I saw the preview for Sing Sing, and my expectations were far exceeded. It is a remarkable film based on the true story of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program in New Jersey that was founded in 1996.  It gives prisoners the opportunities to develop through the arts, including dance, creative writing, visual art, music, and theatre. Sing Sing focuses on the theatre program.

Sing Sing tells the story of John “Divine G”Whitfield, a talented writer and actor who was unjustly imprisoned at Sing Sing Correctional Facility for a murder that he did not commit.  He has made the best of it by co-founding the theatre program.  We join him and others after another successful performance of Shakespeare, and he is preparing for his next parole hearing.  The troupe is looking to recruit a few new members and Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin is one of the auditioners.  He is selected but immediately he and Divine G start to have conflicts. The relationship that these two build is one of truth and redemption. Divine Eye along with many others play versions of themselves from the past.  Most of the cast is made up of actual members of the RTA theater troupe. Some have been paroled but many are still imprisoned.  They bring a level of authenticity to the roles that is powerful. You get to see the actual talent that these people have.  Maclin is sensational bringing a rawness and truth to the role. Working with them is the always brilliant Colman Domingo as Divine G and by Paul Raci as Brent Buell the volunteer director who trains the actors and writes their scripts when needed.  Raci was nominated for his performance in Sound of Metal, and is equally good here.  However, it is the performance of Domingo that will get the well-deserved attention this year.  Domingo creates a dynamic and fully rounded person in his performance.  There are so many layers to the prisoners and he reveals them all powerfully and succinctly.

The film is directed and co-written by Greg Kwendar who wrote the script with Clint Bentley, both of whom had worked together in previous films like Jockey.  Kwendar takes a very realistic but also poetic approach to the film.  They were able to actually film in Sing Sing, and showed that even in this hellish nightmare there were areas of beauty and hope.  This is particularly symbolized by the window that overlooks New Jersey.  The Divine G and Eye connect in this almost spiritual place.  The use of close-up is also a powerful tool in the film, with some extreme close-ups of Domingo that gives the audience an immediacy that is often overwhelming.

I have seen firsthand how education and the arts can help prisoners develop and have hope. There are many programs similar to RTA in Alabama such as the Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project out of Auburn University.  In addition, I recommend looking at organizations that help prisoners gain their freedom when they are innocent such as Alabama Appleseed and organizations like Redemption Earned that help them when they get out of prison.  I hope that after seeing this film, you are inspired to support one of these organizations.  As the great Bryan Stephensen said “I believe that each person is more than the worst thing they’ve ever done.”  This film proves that.