It's a striking opening scene when presumably we're watching an actor take command of center stage and beautifully, flawlessly recite a passage from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
But as soon as he takes a deserved bow, the camera follows him and his fellow performers exiting with guards and returning to their cells. We immediately learn these men are all incarcerated at New York's notorious Sing Sing correctional facility.
A24's gripping "Sing Sing" is based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program started at Sing Sing in 1996, which was broadcast to the world via John H. Richardson's "Esquire" article, "The Sing Sing Follies."
The film follows incarcerated members as they stage a play from its inception to its opening night. RTA allows participants to explore and nurture their vulnerability through creative endeavors, whether it be theater, music, dance, etc.
"They develop critical life skills so they can meet the challenge of connecting with family and community when released." RTA's approach to the justice system is based on human dignity rather than punishment.
The program is built on the universal humanity of all people, taking responsibility for one's actions, and collaboration through listening, sharing, and depending on one another. All these components foster better friendships, communication, and compassion. The recidivism for program members is less than three percent, compared to the national average of 60 percent. The film almost functions as an advertisement for RTA.
Divine inspiration
The opening actor is the film's main protagonist, John "Divine G" Whitfield (Colman Domingo), who's serving time for a murder he claims he didn't commit. He's preparing legally for an upcoming clemency hearing based on new evidence that might exonerate him. Divine G is one of RTA's co-founders. He's a role model serving on the steering committee, who not only acts but writes plays performed by RTA, basically its artistic manager.
The group's director Brent Buell (heartfelt Paul Raci) is an outside volunteer who also writes some of RTA's plays. After the success of "Midsummer," Divine G, along with his best prison buddy, Mike Mike (Sean San Jose, co-founder of SF's Campo Santo) and Brent, recruit Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin (who plays himself and is a co-writer of the screenplay), a guarded tough guy drug dealer who aggressively collects and extorts his debts, but can also quote from "King Lear."
For the troupe's next production, Divine Eye suggests rather than performing a play written by Divine G, they do a comedy, which rattles Divine G. Brent will pen the goofy time-traveling musical farce "Breakin' the Mummy's Code" (actually written by the real-life Brent Buell) taking role suggestions from the other actors, including pirates, an Egyptian mummy, Hamlet, gladiators, Old West gunfighter, and Freddy Krueger.
When Divine Eye is selected to play Hamlet over Divine G, bruising his ego, they become frenemy rivals. Despite Divine G pushing Divine Eye to plumb emotional depths and express his inner hurt, inciting anger and violence, they will become friends, learning from each other. They discover they have more in common than originally thought, with Divine Eye mellowing. A crisis will occur during rehearsals when Divine G experiences a yelling crying meltdown revealing his inner pain, questioning whether he can continue in the production.
Emotional life raft
Director/writers Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley (the same duo who made the lovely 2021 drama "Jockey") volunteered in RTA and interviewed past and present RTA members for the film's point-of-view. Aside from professional actors Domingo, Raci, and San Jose, the rest of the cast are non-professional RTA alumni playing versions of themselves.
The film functions almost like a docudrama since viewers witness the acting exercises, interpersonal dynamics and techniques to get the men to explore locked down feelings, all hallmarks of RTA. RTA creates a safe space, a "psychological and emotional life raft" for its members or as one of the incarcerated remarks, "We're here to become human again, to put on nice clothes, dance around, and enjoy things not in our reality."
The screenplay has its clunky moments and the pacing can be a bit too languid, especially in its therapeutic moments. Also, one wishes there was more background material on how these convicts wound up in the facility, especially Divine G, but it can be argued that we're presented with the men as they are now, not as criminals, but as they attempt to reinvent themselves with dignity intact.
Healing arts
The film speaks to how theater can be healing, RTA's restorative, transformative power, and artistry as catharsis, a theme rooted in ancient Greece. However, "Sing Sing" does downplay the racist and demeaning aspects of incarcerated life, with only one scene revealing how Divine G's immaculate cell is disheveled by guards looking for contraband.
Raci's character injects humanity into a system bent on destroying it. Notwithstanding these minor quibbles, the film is a love letter to acting, that rather than masking performers, drama can compel them to get in touch with their true selves.
Domingo is having a spectacular year with his Best Actor nomination for "Ruskin" as well as his compelling "Mister" Johnson in the musical film "The Color Purple." His Divine G is stupendous and it's almost inconceivable he won't be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar early next year.
He expresses the full range of Divine G's emotional development and self-enlightenment, whether it be transcendence, affability, or fury. He performs brilliantly with the "non-actors." It's a breakout role positioning him as one of today's foremost gay actors. Macklin has an electric edgy energy, so you're never sure how he'll react from scene to scene. It's an impressive, auspicious debut.
Probably in line to win awards as one of 2024's best films, this small indie upends the standard prison drama with its usual clichés. You might think you should watch this movie because it will be good for you, but it's enrapturing and powerful despite its harsh surroundings. "Sing Sing" will make your spirit soar, reminding us that there is goodness and kindness in the world.
'Sing Sing' screens in Bay Area cinemas starting Aug. 2.
www.a24films.com
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