Sing Sing: There's an artist in everyone

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Rob Ryan

Coleman Domingo has recently skyrocketed as one of the most recognisable and appreciated faces to grace the silver screen, He has played small to supporting roles in films such as Spielbergs Lincoln, Selma (2014) and a bunch of TV roles including Fear the Walking Dead. He made a intimidating and scary antagonist in Zola (2020) and most noteworthy is his role as Ali in Euphoria, a former drug addict trying to rebuild his family ties while trying to steer Rue on the right path.

Now he is finally given a leading role worthy of his charm, charisma and dramatic range in Sing Sing, an empathetic and intimate portrayal of the infamous Sing Sing correctional facility and their theatre group. Domingo plays John Whitfield, also known as "Devine G" by his fellow inmates, he's in for a murder he didn't commit and is waiting on a hearing on whether or not the evidence he has brought to the prosecution will be enough to let him out, in the mean time he has founded a theatre group along with other inmates who have just finished preforming Hamlet and now they are looking for a new play to preform. John sets his eyes on Clarence Maclin (playing himself) who goes by "Devine Eye" a proper gangster type who goes around asking for debts from other prisoners, John see's potential and asks if he wants to take part in their latest project.

He agrees and during their first meeting, suggests that instead of preforming a tragedy as everyone in this place is too accustomed by the tragedy of their circumstances, why not try preforming a comedy, a first inkling of a smarter and openminded individual Clarence really is. The other actors agree and the theatre director (Paul Raci) conjures a script that has a bit off everything, time travel, Gladiators to even Hamlet.

Co-written and directed by Greg Kwedar, Sing Sing like avoids the cliches of prison life in the movies by having the men in the movie be as open and honest with each other, this is not an environment of anti social behaviour and everyone keeping themselves to themselves, we see first hand just what this theatre group brings to these men and their mental/emotional wellbeing, we see them laugh and yes some of them manage to let out a few tears. This theatre group is a case study how learning to walk in a character's shoes can explore ways of expressing your self to the world that these men may have never considered before as well as a chance to escape from the cruel reality they are living in, to maybe have some fun.

This is especially true for Clarence's arc in the film as the rehearsals unpack many layers of masking that he does, first when preforming the Hamlet monologue, he struggles to be in the moment, something that the other actors encourage by making sure that the audience knows "he owns the stage" when that obstacle is overturned, then there's the issue of him leaning towards aggression too easily as angry is too easy of an emotion to portray both on stage and in real life, its through this gradual process do we see a calmer, gentler and more considerate man then what we see at the start of the film

This unpacking and dismantling of harmful personality types associated with the worst aspects of men is even extended towards John, the most open, the least aggressive and the most liked by everyone in the faculty as he spends all his time helping his fellow prisoners but doesn't ask for help in return. Even he gets to unlearn some tendencies that make him more emotionally vulnerable when dealing with his own personal issues.

This is a film that has also been spiced up with documentary-esc cinematography from Pat Scola who shoots on proper old school film that gives the movie a timeless look, all accompanied by a fantastic score by Bryce Dessner which manages to feel just right in every moment without ever leaning towards melodrama, mostly because everything we are seeing is all real, with very little in the way of sugarcoating and filtering out the facts, its genuine and that's what makes it all the more beautiful.

Sing Sing isn't interested in the reasons why these men are locked up, it isn't even so much about the final play and how the finished thing looks, this is about the process leading up to showtime and what that process entails, which is a sense of community, a chance to be vulnerable, a chance to have a rewarding experience playing a part, a piece of escapism. The film shows us that everyone has something to share, there's an artist in everyone that's waiting to be let out. What better way to do that then putting on a show. Also what better way of proving the movie's thesis more powerfully as unbenkowst to me before seeing the film, most off the inmates we see including the theatre group, are all actual inmates.