30 miles north of New York City, situated directly on the bank of the Hudson River, lies Sing Sing, a maximum security prison that has been operational for nearly 200 years. For much of its lifespan, the institution has been known for its harsh conditions—it was the site of frequent electric chair executions until New York abolished the death penalty and is known for treating those imprisoned there with a severe sense of discipline and regulations.
They’ve also just introduced a new face into the mix: Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin , a hardened prisoner that we first meet threatening someone in the prison yard over money missing from a drug deal. But Divine G sees something more in him. Divine Eye is brought into the new brainstorming session, where he derails the idea of doing Divine G’s own dramaand instead suggests they go for comedy since life in prison is hard enough as is.
Divine Eye becomes the one hold-out. This being his first production, he’s hesitant to embrace the silliness of exercises like Brent having the group walk around like zombies, or to fully embody his character of Hamlet with passionate line readings as opposed to flippantly dictating them from the script. He’s defensive and reverts to his destructive tendencies as he’s guided out of his shell by his fellow actors—particularly Divine G.
It’s a thread that implicitly, sharply shows us the impact of RTA, and adds backbone to story beats that threaten to veer into stock prison drama towards the back half. The latter portion ofintroduces directions that feel more familiar and primed for melodrama—tragedy within the group, the possibility of parole brought more directly to the forefront—but Kwedar and Clint Bentley’s screenplay does well to keep the emotions grounded within a naturalistic demeanor.
This grounded naturalism also comes from the shooting style. Cinematographer Pat Scola captures events on 16mm film, and the final product is wonderfully textured and vibrant. Flashy camera theatrics are abandoned for a concentration on the performers, and every first-time film actor populating the screen effortlessly fills out the frame. No one sticks out as a non-professional actor, and if I hadn’t known any better, I’m convinced I would believe everyone was a certified SAG member.
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