Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Sing Sing

This is one of the most beautiful, well acted and touching films I have seen all year that is among one of the best of the year! Now I heard about this film last year when it went to TIFF but it didn’t make a wide release until this year the premise I knew very little about all I knew was Colman Domingo was the lead of the film and it was about inmates in a theatre program that is all I really had a grasp on when it came to the plot summery. Now I am glad I went in knowing very little about it as the film is a outstanding piece of film as it is about second chances, redemption, bettering yourself and not letting one wrong moment in your life define your character.The film is able to capture the theme of hope, friendship and gut punching emotion in a way that had me in tears by the end of the film Sing Sing is a phenomenal film that is truly incredible! 

Firstly, The film blew me away for so many reasons the first one being the entire way the story is done. The film tackles this guy who is the head of the theatre program at this prison and the program itself helps rehabilitate troubled inmates and transition them to a more emotionally levelled person which this program has found itself incredibly affective in doing so. That within itself is a truly interesting premise. Now Greg Kwedar has crafted a film that tackles so many themes from positive masculinity, Forgiveness and the bond of friendship and how it can flourish when approached with kindness and not anger. Now what this film does exceptionally well in terms of its style is it reminded me very much of Sean Baker’s directing style as his film the Florida Project felt like a documentary with how authentic the setting and its characters felt in the film. It didn’t even feel like it was actors or fictional and that’s the same feeling Sing Sing constantly had me feeling like their is a Raw and genuine feeling to the frame that dose not feel like it’s a Hollywood production. The entire film takes place in this prison but the film never tries to show the negative aspects of the situation these men go through that bring said it does show the very real struggles they face day in and day out in a place where your sleeping quarters is a nine inch cell. So the way it was able to make use of its signal location and have it express the very real emotional hardships the people that occupy that space face on a deep level and how it could affect someone’s mentality. It doesn’t show the doom and gloom of prison sure it shows the very real situations someone deals with who has to make that place their home for however long they are their but the film’s primary focus is the theatre program and having these men forget about where exactly they are and feel transported to another world through the lens of escapism through live theatre. The live theatre program is their escape from the reminder of where they are but if they can play pretend in a production of hamlet or a work of Shakespeare they not only find a way to work their battles with where their living but it gives them something to look forward to and keep their brain occupied with something positive that they can benefit from. The film is able to show hardship of prison life but also the men who strive to be out of their head for a couple of hours and dedicate themselves to this acting group as a way to forget their stresses and better whatever anger they have outside of that theatre room. The way the themes are tackled will move you and it’s brilliantly written and presented in a way that holds nothing back and shows prison culture for what it is while also the heartbeat of the film being one of hope and positive change. This film isn’t a flashy stylistic drama it’s very raw and emotionally honest and the way Greg Kwedar approaches it from a narrative point of view is truly incredible. 

Secondly, The performances from the whole cast are sensational! Now what blew my mind when the film was over was learning the whole cast except for Colman Domingo were all the real people. As I thought they were all paid actors to play the parts they were given in the film no it was the real people portraying themselves within the film which truly amazed me as all of them felt like they’ve been been doing films for ages with how natural they came across onscreen. So when their expressing their frustration and headache at times onscreen their is not any acting required for the guys presenting a version of themselves onscreen it feels like a whole different kind of emotional vulnerability that very rarely gets a opportunity to be shown onscreen. I can’t name another film for a film of this type where they characters onscreen are played by the real life people it was phenomenal and one of the key actors that stood out among the cast was Clarance Maclin he has a supporting turn in the film as someone who has a tough exterior but as time goes on he learns to approach the theatre program with respect and kindness as at first he’s frustrated with how they do things. The way Clarance was able to showcase a part of his soul in this film had me rattled as he is able to both be a no nonsense personality and then transitions into someone that trusts the process of what this theatre program has to offer and he lets himself stop fighting those that want to help him and he sees the benefit of how he betters himself with the people in the program but also himself in the process. It’s a performance that is destined to be spoken about come award season he gave one of the most memorable supporting performances I’ve seen all year a sensational breakout performance from Clarance Maclin. Then you have the lead of the film Colman Domingo who rips through the screen with a fierce sense of emotional tenseness that will touch your heart. Now Colman has been crafting quite the name for himself in the last couple years but the work he gives on this film is a career best performance that will truly stun you. It is both charming, emotionally captivating and so heartbreaking all at once in a performance that is destined to be spoken about come awards season. Now the whole cast is tremendous but the two performances that you will walk away deeply impacted by is from Colman and Clarence giving truly sensational work on the screen. 

Lastly, Sing Sing is one of the top 5 best films of the year. Greg Kwedar crafted one of the most emotionally sincere and captivating stories that sticks with you long after it’s over. The film never holds back the brutality and harsh reality these people face on a day to day but at the same time it is able to be a beacon of hope and to see people want to be the best versions of themselves. It inspires positive change and shows friendship in the most pure and loving form. The film is excellently acted by the entire cast all of them giving phenomenal performances and Colman giving a career best performance with his outstanding leading role at the centre of this story along with Clarance Maclin’s sensational star making supporting turn that will have your jaw firmly on the floor. Sing Sing thrusts you into the heartache, hope, love, friendship and sheer mental strength the men in this prison have to tackle each day and it Is shown in such a captivating and genuine way that will have you locked in the moment it starts to it’s final frame. Sing Sing is a brilliant film that is one of the year’s best films and one that will rattle you and have you in tears by the end of how much it will touch your heart I recommend everyone go see this film it is truly incredible and deserves to be seen on the big screen. 

This film centres on the men in the Sing Sing penitentiary and the theatre program that is run to rehabilitate the troubled and or angry to make them find piece within themselves and better their situation while serving time and having their mind forget where they are to better their mental health. 

Rated R : Language 

Colman Domingo : Domingo delivers a career best performance that Is the highest accomplishment he has achieved as an actor. Now Domingo has carved quite the name for himself in the last couple years he has been popping up in more bigger projects lately and I am so happy to see it as he is a terrific talent. Seeing him front and centre in this film was amazing as he hasn’t had a ton of leading man roles his first was Rustin’ and this is his second Stab at leading man material and wow does he just command the screen with a fist of emotion that just hits you right in the chest. He plays this man who has been in this Prison for many years and has been running this theatre program to rehabilitate people. This group of people he works with that run the program in many ways has become his family and gives him guidance and stability while serving his time. You can see he is very much the leader of the group of the program as well as one who calls the shots in terms of what usually gets brought to the stage for the group to do and has a heavy hand in writing quite a lot of the productions they do. Their is a system he has gotten used to but at the same time he sees their has to be a opportunity to let others into the program that need that sense of brotherhood to help better themselves as he is living proof of this having a positive affect on someone. When he is looking for fresh new talent and brings someone onto the theatre program and has him audition and see how much of a great talent he is he both likes him but also is jealous of him. As yes Colman plays this man that is very kind hearted, and kind in nature but at the same time this theatre group is his family and seeing anyone taking control over what is his makes him resent him a bit and you can see that jealously brew underneath that smile and through his eyes. He sees how this man is trying to creatively take over the group and put all the attention on him which yes is good to see him wanting to be so heavily involved and put all his time and attention on this group but he hates how he is feeling replaced in a way which makes him feel like his opinion is not as important as it used to be. Now he isn’t just a character that feels jealously over one character that is just one side of him we see as he is such a sensitive soul that is a massive literature fan and dives his head into writing as well so his mind is always so active If its about his next play, helping people with their Parole hearing and help them get out of their head and forget their life outside of the walls they are in everyday. Colman’s character is one to put others feelings before his own so when he is frustrated or angry he just swallows that negative feeling and tries to not let others see what really bothers him as they already deal with tough times on the daily but he also wants to present the best version of him and not be seen as someone who looses it easily that being said tho since he compresses the more difficult feelings that he has in the second act of the film it starts eating at his mind and it becomes harder for him to ignore until he finally explodes on all of his friends in a massive rant where he spews all his raw feelings of frustration and sheer sadness of why he keeps doing this theatre program when it is getting him nowhere. Now he dose not mean what he says he goes out of his way to hurt those close to him in that moment as he is so hurt and in so much emotional pain he lashes out on the people closest to him in order to release himself from the burden of carrying all those deep rooted emotions for so long. He knows that the program works for others and for him but he wants to finally get out of the prison like the next person so when the progression of his sentence is getting him denied year after year he starts numbing his own pain by helping others with their parole hearings in a way to make him feel like he is making some sort of difference with their life make him feel useful and won’t have him have to think about his own problems. He does his best to be a inspiration for everyone around him but he also knows it is hard as he can’t ever show that sad side of his heart so he does it in the quiet moments when he is alone but his favourite thing he loves spending time with is the people he has crafted bonds with and the arts. Domingo knows that people should not be defined by one wrong decision they made their capable of change to be better then they once were and that is why he constantly pushes Clarance’s character to embrace love and kindness and not fight it. That being said his character is someone who also wants to help everyone else but not actually help himself though. Domingo has this warm and friendly embrace to him but you can see the heartache under that smile that he refuses to acknowledge as its to painful for him to focus on his own pain so playing pretend and being in a false reality and taking him away from his troubles can sooth his soul without having to think about the not so great living situation he is in. He is a inspiring character that for sure has a tough time admitting when he needs help but he invests his focus into people and literature and Domingo is able to dive into the headspace of this man’s heart in a way that feels so real and authentic and you can hear the gentle like tone when he talks as he wants to bring a positive impression on his friends of who he is but also show the parole board he is a changed person from who he was before he went in their. He has a confidence and way of working on people to be the best versions of themselves while also being a huge advocate for the theatre program that helps people. Domingo is emotionally captivating in a performance that will amaze you he is phenomenal delivering a tour de force that is in my opinion the best work of his career as of right now. 

Clarance Maclin : Clarance delivers one of the most remarkable breakout performances I have seen in a long time! Now when I found out this was his first ever screen credit it truly blew me away as he came across so naturally onscreen in how he carried himself he has so much confidence and fantastic energy tuned into his performance. Now he isn’t playing a character which I found out after seeing the film he is playing a version of himself on screen so a lot of the sadness, anger and eventually joy he feels isn’t anything he has to fake or pretend he pulls it out of the real experience he had of serving time at that prison. Now the moment he comes onscreen you cannot look away he has a swagger and unpredictable nature to his character that draws you into him. He is approached to audition for the theatre’s latest production as their looking for fresh new talent and he impresses’s Colman Domingo with his eye for traditional literature and when he walks into the room to show his talent as an actor he sucks up all the Oxogen in the room with his ability to bring those words of Shakespeare to life. When he first goes to the rehearsals and throwing around ideas of what this show will look like he wants to contribute to bringing it to life but shows struggles at how to take this acting part on as he has never done something like this before. So we see the emotional frustration he goes under when at rehearsal and seeing how the group tackles their acting exercise’s he finds abnormal and odd and pushes against a lot of the creative ways they do things along with him tripping over his lines and not believing in himself as he needs the confidence to command the stage like a king. Clarance is able to show his ability to want to be a great addition to this class but he also dose not want constant people talking down to him on his ability to perform but he also needs guidance so he dose not just do whatever and totally sink the show with his push and pull attitude. As he attends more classes he becomes closer with them creating a brother like bond he lets go of that anger and becomes more immersed in the class finding the tools emotionally to help himself become the better person he know he can be. Clarance is able to show that arc from the anger filled emotionally restrained person to a person that embraces his feelings and becomes more happy with himself and not only does it make him a happier person but his relationships also flourish positively as well. Maclin delivers a performance that is among some of the best I have seen this year when he talks you can feel the pain in his voice but when he starts becoming a happier person you can see the hope in his eyes and the sheer joy in his soul as he sees the amazing progress he has made and he knows he couldn’t of done it without the amazing amount of love and support around him but the fact he allowed himself be helped he can be proud of. Maclin captures a performance that is rare as I mentioned before he does not need to fake the emotion as he has been through the emotional hell we see presented onscreen so all that heartache pain, sorrow he has faced and so it is a different animal of emotion onscreen as its so raw and coming from such a real place in his heart. The chemistry he also shares With Colman Domingo was fantastic their bond was beautifully shown as the two of them help one another become better people and lift each other up emotionally. Overall Clarance Maclin devours the screen with a type of emotional sincerity that is rarely shown onscreen like this and gives an outstanding performance that Is among some of the best I have seen he truly is mesmerizing in the film and I cannot wait to see what he does next. 

Greg Kwedar : Greg delivered one of the most emotionally captivating takes on hope and sheer emotional willpower I have ever seen and have it take place in a prison with inmates longing to be the best version of themselves. Now there have been a ton of films that take place in a prison setting that are dramas but not tackled like how Greg has done Sing Sing. As the film shows the real people that faced the tough hardships of these living quarters day to day and not just in a psychical sense but also the emotional strain that it takes on them. As the theatre program is a respected and saving grace for their emotional well being in order to sooth their soul and keep bettering who they are. The film is able to explore this through the character of Colman Domingo who is the leader of the group of the theatre program but he also pushes the others around him to keep opening up and nurturing their hearts in order to deal with their own emotional demons. But yet he himself finds it hard to help himself but that is when the others in the group all work together to bring each other up and then you have Clarance Maclin giving a autobiographical performance that hits you with waves of emotion that will hit you right in the heart and truly move you. The performances he gets from the cast is wrapped in emotion and done in such an authentic way that it does not even feel like acting it almost feels like a documentary in some ways. The way he captures the bond and sheer love of these people was beautiful it was if he placed the camera in the setting and let the actors take over and do their thing it feels like real organic conversations taking place it does not even feel scripted. Greg captures the beauty of emotional strength, mental drain but also positivity along with the tough toll prison can take on one’s mind and how the arts and one’s passion can help distract you from the harder things you face in your day to day. It is a beckon of hope which I described earlier and that really is the best way to describe it as that is what it is. Greg Kwedar gives such brilliant direction showing how the arts and having a sparking mind of creativity can change one’s life but Also having people ground you and help strengthen you can make you a better person. It is truly phenomenal direction that touched my heart and is among some of the best of the year as he was able to show both the light and dark elements of the setting without one overshadowing the other Greg Kwedar did a incredible Job at bringing this story to screen.