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Movie Review: Sing Sing

Mike Tyrkus

The new film Sing Sing is an honestly told, cathartic tale of redemption through art that easily ranks among one of the most powerful films of the year.

Centered around the character of “Divine G” (Colman Domingo), a man incarcerated at Sing Sing for a crime he alleges to not have committed, the film (which takes its name from its setting) tells the tale of Divine G and his fellow incarcerated men who make up a theatre group within the prison. As the film begins, the troupe is exploring adding new members before mounting an upcoming production. This is where newcomer “Divine Eye” (Clarence Maclin) enters the fray and begins to insert his own thoughts and sensibilities into the group, disrupting the autonomy Divine G previously held. But, rather than leading to chaos and turmoil, this sends the men on a journey that examines the transformative power of art within society.

Director Greg Kwedar – helming his second feature following 2016’s Transpecos – works from a script written by himself and Clint Bentley that is, in turn, based on a story by Bentley, Kwedar, Maclin, and John Divine G Whitfield. The result is a revealing look at how character can be manipulated by environment and how environment can be overcome through expression and friendship.

Colman Domingo in “Sing Sing.” © A24

Save for lead Domingo, most of the other characters in the film are portrayed by their “real life” personas, giving the film a layer of authenticity that would have been lost had a group of actors been cast instead. Again, this affords the film a strong ensemble cast that is not only believable in their respective roles, but they are also instantly likeable and charismatic (despite being incarcerated). There is a comradery amongst the men here that extends to the audience and, as their relationship with one another grows throughout the film, so too does the viewer’s attachment to them.

Cinematographer Patrick Scola keeps the film bright and clear, though the palette seems beige most of the time save for the splashes of color inside individual cells and when they are outside in the green of nature, signifying a release from the confined neutrality of sorts. The use of color in the films serves almost as an additional character signifying when something of import is about to occur. It proves to be an effective tool that is hardly noticeable until after the fact.

Although stories of redemption within the walls of a prison have been a go-to vehicle for filmmakers for quite a while now, there have been few films that have been conveyed with the honesty and raw emotional power that has been done with Sing Sing. For this, it is a singular film in its own right.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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