Sing Sing Parent Guide

“To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?”

Hamlet’s soliloquy is some of Shakespeare’s most famous work. But those words take on added poignancy when spoken by a convict inside a prison’s walls where the choice of who to be and how to live are high stakes decisions.

Sing Sing is a powerful film based on the real-life story of prison inmates who found friendship, self-respect, emotional honesty, and healing through the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program. The ever-brilliant Colman Domingo stars as John “Divine G” Whitfield, a wrongfully convicted DJ and writer, who is the de facto leader of the acting group, both on and off the stage. The men receive expert assistance from outside volunteer, Paul Raci, who serves as director and helps the men acknowledge, identify, and channel their emotions in the safe space of the theater. The troupe is collegial and respectful, a desperately needed counterweight to the brutality that pervades the prison environment.

Stories of redemption are usually worth watching but what makes this film special is that its cast members are playing themselves. I was unaware of this going into the theater, and was astonished at the closing credits when I realized that almost the entire cast were ex-cons. No wonder the performances feel so very real and grounded and no wonder that a story set in one of the worst places in America still manages to feel hopeful. If these men, convicted of terrible crimes, can turn their lives around, then hope is more than just a wish, it’s an emotional roadmap for all of us.

Despite its many virtues, Sing Sing isn’t a movie for everyone. If you’re a “hang ‘em high”, “throw the book at them” believer in punitive justice, you won’t like this film. (But you should still probably see it. I’m a big believer in watching movies with perspectives that differ from our own.) If you object to profanity, this is also a bad option: the film features more than one cuss word per minute, and the majority of them are f-bombs. Given that this takes place in prison, the profanity is accurate but some moviegoers still won’t want to hear it. Those of you who don’t like jiggly camera work should probably stay away, too. We have the technology to make smoothly filmed movies and I can’t for the life of me explain why some directors revert to shaky, hand-held cameras. I went into the movie with a headache and came out with a bigger one.

Challenges aside, Sing Sing is a remarkable achievement. Its story is affecting; its cast brilliant, its messages powerful. Not only is this a tale of hope, Sing Sing is also a profoundly human story; a reminder that we are all broken and all in need of healing and mercy. As Bryan Stevenson, famous death penalty lawyer has said, “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” In this film, we learn what can happen when people are seen, really seen, for everything they are.