Sing Sing is a film that takes place in the New York State Penitentiary of the same name. Divine G (Colman Domingo) is incarcerated and finds purpose for himself by helping to organize and write for a prison theater group. As he helps to run the group, he studies the law to try to win parole for his conviction in a crime that he has evidence suggesting he may not have been the perpetrator. The group is soon joined by a wary newcomer named Divine I (Clarence Maclin) who struggles to let his guard down and challenges Divine G’s ability to lead and break through to his fellow inmates.
One of the things that stands out most about Sing Sing is how intimate its camera use is, featuring copious amounts of close up shots of the characters as they speak, slow push-in shots, and rack focus shots. By moving the camera so close it to its subjects, the film and director Greg Kwedar sutiliza intimate visuals to establish a connection between the characters, the setting, and the audience, allowing for a more empathetic experience for a film that depends heavily on creating one in order to be successful.
At its core, Sing Sing is a film about rehabilitation, not just the obvious rehabilitation for prisoners trying to earn a chance to see the outside world again, but the very real struggle of trying to change who you are at your core when bad traits and habits have become ingrained within you even to your detriment. The character of Divine I, played by the real life basis for the character in Maclin, serves as the personification of this struggle as the audience watches him struggle to leave his aggressive street experiences behind and embrace the vulnerability of being an artist. They say part of being a good actor is trusting those you work with and as a former street dude and current inmate, Divine I begins his journey devoid of trust for others which makes his integration into the acting troupe a rocky one. His experience is the crux of the film’s theme and for an amateur actor in his first onscreen role, Maclin is magnetic in his supporting role, standing out alongside a previous Best Actor nominee in Domingo and sure to end the year as one the best supporting actor performances of the year. His performance engenders caring and investment in the audience that hopes to see him make it to the other side with his journey, not just literally in terms of the prison walls, but in becoming a new person and overcoming his past.
Domingo performs well as Divine G displaying the other aspect of mental hardship faced by prisoners as he fights for parole and the small but of hope that exists for him within his cell. Domingo is able to display both the strength in hope that prisoners experience when chasing freedom and the toll that it can take on them mentally when the prospect of release appears and disappears on the whims of outside forces that can’t see past your rap sheet, no matter how well you present yourself or the work you do while on the inside. It’s this emotional spectrum that powers his acting in the film and provides some of its more challenging moments. Sing Sing is an emotional film about humanity, its perseverance, its struggles, and how difficult it can be to change. Clarence Maclin and Colman Domingo provide impactful performances that make an already well paced film feel like a breeze and pull the audience in fully.
Image: A24
