The Big Picture

Sing Sing
showcases the power of art and community within a prison theater group that includes formerly incarcerated actors.
Colman Domingo delivers an Oscar-worthy performance, conveying a range of emotions through subtle gestures and expressions.
The film is visually stunning, immersing viewers in the story while authentically portraying the humanity of each multidimensional character.

“Who would’ve thought the healing of the planet would start behind the walls of Sing Sing?” one character muses toward the end of Greg Kwedar’s film. It’s a great line — one of many uttered throughout the movie’s 105-minute runtime. Stories about theater are nothing new, with everything from All About Eve to Birdman to Waiting for Guffman approaching the medium in vastly different ways. Ones that take place in prison aren’t revolutionary either, with Shawshank Redemption, Orange Is the New Black, and Oz offering just a few of the many examples. But a film about a theater group in a prison? Now that’s intriguing and is made even more so by the fact it’s based on a true story.

Sing Sing (2024) A theater group escapes the reality of incarceration through the creativity of staging a play, with a cast that includes actors who have been incarcerated.Release Date March 8, 2024 Director Greg Kwedar Runtime 105 Minutes

What Is ‘Sing Sing’ About?

Sing Sing feels like a true ensemble piece, giving all of its characters a chance to shine. At the center, however, is Divine G (Colman Domingo), who’s in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Despite his unfair circumstances, Divine G finds purpose by helping his fellow incarcerated men, from working to get them more nutritious food to poring over books in the prison library. He also acts as the center of a theater group called RTA, which stands for Rehabilitation Through the Arts, wherein the men stage productions of everything from Shakespeare to Divine G’s own plays every six months.

But the theater group — and potentially Divine G’s life — is on the cusp of change. A new member known as Divine Eye (Clarence Maclin) joins, shaking things up with acting chops that rival Divine G’s. He also brings a desire to switch everything up and put on a comedy. However, he also has a more guarded demeanor, proving to be hesitant to open up and participate in rehearsals. Divine G works not only to help Divine Eye adjust to the group but also to win his own upcoming clemency hearing after securing new evidence in his case.

‘Sing Sing’ Highlights the Power of Art and Community
Image via A24

Many of the filmmakers behind A24 films are known for their gorgeous aesthetics and Sing Sing proves to be no exception, standing out as one of the most visually beautiful films in the distributor’s abnormally strong catalog. Cinematographer Pat Scola shoots on film, giving the film a naturally dreamy and intimate feel. The opening shot of Divine G on stage reciting A Midsummer Night’s Dream transports us right to Athens, Broadway, or another world entirely. The shots of the Hudson River and the railroad root us deeply in the setting, and the swirling camera movements during character introductions make us feel like we’re right there with everyone.

But what we don’t see is equally as important as what we do, as Kwedar is extremely intentional about not subjecting us to brutal images. A guard grabs a prisoner near the beginning of the film, but we don’t see the action, the scene is blocked in such a way that it’s implied rather than graphically shown. That’s not what this movie is about. No, Sing Sing is about joy, about community, about people — real people the world tends to shun or forget about entirely.

That’s not to say Sing Sing romanticizes the experience of being in prison. Quite the opposite. It walks the delicate line of being raw but not exploitative, offering hope without presenting things through rose-colored glasses. The beauty these men manage to create serves to make the injustice of the prison system hit that much harder. If they are able to connect with each other and find moments of happiness in such a bleak, unfair circumstance, imagine what they could do if given more tools, more genuine rehabilitation, more people who truly care — in other words, a fair shot.

‘Sing Sing’s Authenticity and Humanity Makes the Movie Sing

Sing Sing’s production notes stated that the writers took care to “[steer] clear of the typical harsh, violent — or even comedic — tropes.” And they certainly succeeded. I am especially struck by how the two characters that could most easily fall into stereotypes, Brent Buell (Paul Raci) and Divine Eye, subvert cliches at every turn. In lesser hands, Buell, the enthusiastic and encouraging director, would be the comic relief — an outsider who the men find corny and don’t take seriously. In even lesser hands, he might be a white savior. Instead, he’s neither, serving as an ally to the men, supporting their ideas, and even taking the time to gather all of them — ancient Egypt to Freddy Kreuger to time travel — and craft an entire play including all of them in a single weekend.

Divine Eye could easily be the villain or antagonist, but Maclin infuses him with so many layers, such instant depth, that he never veers in that direction. He is a man who contains multitudes, as all men do — one who intimidates others in the prison yard but can recite King Lear at the drop of a hat. He projects confidence and a tough facade but, deep down, wonders if prison is all he deserves. It’s all the more impressive to note that Maclin himself is Divine Eye — that the character is based on himself from years ago.

85% of the cast, in fact, consists of formerly incarcerated at Sing Sing and part of the RTA, making the film even more authentic. Kwedar deserves credit for getting such stunning performances from them, but the ensemble deserves just as much for bravely bringing so much of themselves to the role. It’s the specificity they bring that elevates Sing Sing to the next level — the reminiscing about things those on the outside take for granted: the ability to have a picnic in the park, listen to kids playing basketball after dark, make pancakes in the middle of the night, or drive around with your dog. “We’re here to become human again,” one of the men says of playing make-believe on stage. “Enjoy things that are not in our reality.”

It’s touching to see these men unearth parts of themselves they’ve long locked away, excavating and processing their complex emotions initially masquerading as anger. Each gets their moment to shine through audition scenes and acting exercises, and while each of these scenes unfolds in a similar pattern with a similar rhythm — one that can start to feel a little redundant and slow the pacing — each story is so captivating, so specific, so vulnerably laid bare that it’s never a chore to get through or even anything less than wholly compelling. The montages can be a hair long and overindulgent, but there are far, far worse things in which to indulge.

Colman Domingo Is Oscar-Worthy In ‘Sing Sing’
Image via A24

Domingo earned his first Oscar nomination last year for Rustin, and it would be shocking — and frankly unforgivable — if he didn’t earn his second this year for his work here. He gives the audience chills from the first moment of the film, his smooth, powerful voice effortlessly performing a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His determination — to get not only himself free but also his friends — is inspiring and infectious. Yet, it’s his humility and gentleness, and the nuanced, understated way Domingo plays him, that is most memorable. Much like the simplicity in the men’s wishes and dreams hit the hardest, Divine G feeding birds in the yard or writing on his typewriter are some of the most impactful moments. Domingo manages to communicate a breadth of emotions with a single, silent look, and it will floor you every time. The pure heartbreak and devastation on his face when he’s accused of using his acting skills to manipulate the panel during his clemency interview is particularly haunting — I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind.

Though some of the obstacles Divine G faces are abruptly introduced, which can feel a bit jarring, they serve as smart catalysts to complicate the character and show that he, too, is a flawed man. Struggles and moments of weakness are part of being human as well, after all, and it’s refreshing to see the cracks start to form when he faces more adversity and setbacks. Though crushing, it’s almost cathartic when Domingo allows Divine G to embrace his fury at the injustice of it all, shedding the burden of being perfectly, patiently restrained at every turn. Everybody reaches a breaking point in a system as broken as this.

The slow role reversal of Divine G and Divine Eye is simply brilliant, adding necessary texture to the story. They are on parallel journeys, in a way, existing as both foils and mirrors of each other. The way the final moments play out is a bold choice, presenting a false ending of sorts before diving into the true conclusion, but it mostly works for me, as it stays true to the message and tone of the rest of the film.

The passion and care required to make a film like Sing Sing are on full display in every frame. While Domingo is an obvious standout, the rest of the ensemble has more than earned their flowers, too. Kwedar has captured something truly special and rare here. Between this and Netflix’s upcoming documentary Daughters, which feels like a spiritual counterpart to this movie in many ways, one can only hope that shining a light on the humanity of a population that has often been stigmatized and brutalized will lead to genuine systemic change in the near-future.

REVIEW Sing Sing (2024) ‘Sing Sing’ is a powerful film that highlights the power of art and community through authenticity and specificity.ProsColman Domingo gives an Oscar-worthy performance, often communicating a breadth of emotions with a single look.The direction and cinematography is stunning and intimate, making us immediately immersed in the story.The story is brimming with authenticity and humanity, with every character multidimensional. ConsThe pacing can be a bit uneven, with some scenes feeling too slow and other ideas abruptly introduced.

Sing Sing is now playing in select theaters in the U.S. before expanding starting August 2. Click below for showtimes near you.

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