When the nominations were announced, this was one of the films I was most interested in. I like Colman Domingo, the story sounded neat, and I was excited to see the rest of the cast. It did not disappoint!
What’s It About?
John “Divine G” Whitfield is one of the founding members of a theatre group for inmates at Sing Sing. Fresh off a successful production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the group gets to work on their new piece, an original time-travel comedy. As the production gets underway, a new member of the group struggles to drop his guard with his castmates.
Who’s in It?
Colman Domingo leads the film as Divine G. A highly intelligent, intuitive man, Divine G has his hands in everything from playwriting to coaching his friends ahead of their parole hearings, and he believes in the power of theatre to take the inmates away from their circumstances, even if only for a short time. Paul Raci, who I know from Sound of Metal, plays Brent, the guys’ director who comes in from the outside. Domingo and Raci are the main Hollywood actors in the film—the rest of the cast is mostly filled out by former members of the real-life theatre group. Clarence Maclin is terrific as Divine Eye, the wary new member, and I really like how the whole ensemble works within the movie.
What’s It Nominated For?
Sing Sing was nominated for three Oscars:
· Best Leading Actor – Colman Domingo
· Best Adapted Screenplay
· Best Original Song – “Like a Bird”
What Do I Love About It?
· I really like how this powerful film explores its themes. Whether it’s one actor opening up to Divine Eye about what the theatre group means to him, Divine G’s friend Mike Mike reflecting on a lifetime of nicknames, or Divine G struggling during rehearsal after a major setback in his case, the film prioritizes vulnerability, honesty, and dignity in the face of a system that seeks to dehumanize.
· I love seeing the guys go through Brent’s various acting exercises, which range from playfully silly to nakedly heartfelt. I’m reminded of the interactions between the death-row inmates in Just Mercy, in that all the guys in the theatre group just feel like people. That’s a quality that can be unfortunately rare in stories about prison. Since this movie was made largely by formerly incarcerated guys, it’s maybe a given that they’d get this aspect right, but it still deserves to be celebrated. It’s so cool to watch these guys joke around with each other, share their feelings, and gas each other up during rehearsals.
· I like how the dynamic between Divine G and Divine Eye is portrayed. When it comes to the theatre group, Divine G is kind of the expert, and a lot of the guys defer to him—including Brent, who often treats him like a co-director. It’s natural for him to want to reach out to Divine Eye and help him get into the groove, especially he was one of the members who decided to let Divine Eye join the group. And Divine Eye is understandably resistant to that—he applied to join the group but at first refuses to engage with the process, not wanting to stretch himself at all and definitely not wanting to drop his hard front for a second. But I love that there’s not some magic moment of epiphany between the two of them. As they fumble from a rather combative relationship to becoming supportive castmates, there’s give on both sides. Divine G helps Divine Eye find his place within the group, but Divine Eye makes changes purely for himself too. It’s a gradual shift that’s cool to watch.
Warnings
Language, drug references, and strong thematic elements (including wrongful incarceration.)
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