Traspecos director Greg Kweadar’s new film Sing Sing asks an important question to its audience: can atonement be gained through art? Based on the real-life experiences of prison author John “Divine G” Whitfield the film deals with the Theatre troupe he helped establish in New York’s Sing Sing prison as they begin a new production and add a new member of the crew (Clarence Maclin). Divine (Colman Domingo) and his company toe the line between prison life and passion for the stage with the pressure of their reality bleeding into the work of the stage.  

Sing Sing establishes itself in the surprisingly long canon of prison dramas cinema has churned out. Films like The Shawshank Redemption, A Man Escaped and Starred Up has shown the versatility of such the subject and its staying power throughout the years. Though not as cinematic, artistic or raw as the examples given Sing Sing seems to straddle the line on all three. The movie constantly showing you the realities of these prisoners, their words filled with the everyday um’s and ah’s that you might equate to a Ken Loach movie, while also showing you contemplation and the regret that comes with their long-time sentences in a variety of expressive ways. On top of all that Sing Sing’s has its filmic touch with a perfect contrast of truth and passion in its jail and stage production scenes.  

This all helps with it being shot on film, the look and feel of the image really makes the real-life sequences feel authentic, documentary even, only to be hit with a flurry of creative and ingenious camera work that’s unique but never fully subtracts from the overall end product. This is all aided by the fantastic cast. Domingo is superb, best I’ve seen him and that’s saying a lot. He doesn’t stand out as the odd actor in this and that’s a truly hard to do. Here he displays a man who’s got so much talent and passion but is humanely flawed, a rare thing that’s played so well.  

The reason he does so well is because of the supporting cast. Most of the people you see on screen we’re the prisoners and members of Sing Sing’s theatre troupe. Their words of the harsh realities they face is true, their emotions are genuine even if they’re playing a part. I have to shout out Clarence Maclin too. He’s a scene stealer, the level of masking he presents in his character is top tier and he deserves all the praise, so many of his scenes are highlights for me.  

The use of lighting in the film’s divergence is quite fitting. Harsh key tones and natural light make the prison world feel all the more real while the stage is softer, more welcoming. Editing is on point too with the third most important competent of this film being the score. Bryce Dessener fills each scene with some of the most gentle and piercing music you’ll hear all year.  

Kweadar, coming from a documentary background, clearly did his homework over the 7 years it took to get the film over the line. There’s a lot of attention paid to the world of the characters with some genuine breathtaking character moments throughout. The plot is attached to both the characters and the world, it’s not just a cookie cutter screenplay which is a massive benefit for this type of story. There are a couple of pratfalls I think into cliché or overdramatic territory (one scene involving a prison hearing has been strewn all over the promotional material for this film) but these are either unavoidable circumstances of the genre or rare moments that aren’t hugely detrimental to the overall narrative. For the most part Sing Sing strays completely from being Oscar Bait.  

It’s very rare that you get something that feels so genuine yet so gentle and thought provoking. This film made me feel something I haven’t felt for a long time with a film, genuine emotional release. If it wasn’t for the cinematic innovation and high quality of Zone of Interest this film would be top of my end year list. Go see it, it’s just phenomenal.  

Rating 5/5

  • Directed by: Greg Kweadar
  • Written by: John H. Richardson, Brent Buell, and Clint Bentley
  • Starring: Clarence Maclin, Colman Domingo, and Sean San Jose
  • Runtime: 1hr 47min
  • Rated: R (US) | 15 (UK)
  • Released: Aug. 2nd, 2024 (US) | Aug. 30th, 2024 (IE & UK)

Review by Marcus Rochford.

Sing Sing Trailer