‘Sing Sing’ Uncovers Humanity Behind Barred Walls

“Sing Sing” is a modern “Shawshank Redemption” about finding personal freedom against incarceration.

Directed and co-written by Greg Kwedar, “Sing Sing” follows the true story of convicted felons rehabilitating themselves through the art of theater.

Set in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York, the film tracks John “Divine G” Whitfield organizing a new play with his co-prisoners. His confidence as an actor is challenged when a new arrival joins the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) ensemble.

“Sing Sing” is deeply in tune with what it means to be human. As the characters explore a shared love for the arts, their passion grants an emotional escape from physical confinement.

Kwedar (“Transpecos,” “Jockey”) directs with skill and evident respect for the subject matter. Long takes linger on Whitfield and his inmate co-stars stewing in their creative processes and emotional developments.

Shot on location in the real Sing Sing Penitentiary, the suffocating walls contrast the cast’s lively performances. While the prison stifles creativity, the RTA flourishes in imagination with memories of the outside world fueling heartfelt stage performances.

Colman Domingo as Whitfield is magnetic in his charisma. With the real-life Whitfield being an author, Domingo (“Rustin,” “Selma”) lovingly embodies the writer’s stewardship of the RTA. Domingo expresses longing and distress behind a veneer of showmanship and composure. 

Kwedar, cast members Clarence Maclin and Sean ‘Dino’ Johnson and producer Brent Buell discussed the film at the Chicago Critics Fest in May. Kwedar described his introduction to the RTA and its impact on prisoners and their loved ones.

“I’ve been to a few productions at Sing Sing — I was a volunteer teacher,” Kwedar said. “The people outside, waiting for the people they love inside, are serving sentences themselves.”

The inmates’ lives are adapted in a way few films have attempted. Aside from Domingo, nearly all of the supporting cast for “Sing Sing” is comprised of former RTA members — and Sing Sing prisoners. Making their feature debuts, Maclin and Johnson rival Academy Award winners in portraying their past selves.

Clashing heads with Whitfield as the new RTA member, Maclin learns to recognize his vulnerability. The further he engrosses himself in theater, the more Maclin accepts his past decisions and self.

“I got to live other people’s lives, tell their stories that were parallel to my own,” Maclin said. “Villainous or heroic or whatever, the best qualities from those characters is what I played in my real life.”

For his beginner film appearance, Maclin matches up with Domingo in sheer pathos as a secondary lead. Maclin detailed how he discovered his love of acting through the RTA.

“Shakespeare for me is a passion,” Maclin said. “I didn’t know I had that passion until I was exposed to it.”

Maclin credits that exposure to his personal betterment and said he hopes others can be similarly rehabilitated.

“People behind the wall are still people,” Maclin said. “As people, as human beings, we have the ability to change.”

Also portraying himself, Johnson is a standout amongst the extraordinary supporting cast. As a jolly yet dominant member of the RTA, Johnson provides some of the most compelling moments with his introspective view on life.

“I found my freedom behind the wall,” Johnson said. “Freedom is not something that’s in front of you — freedom is in you.”

The power of Maclin, Johnson and the rest of the RTA’s performances cannot be overstated. Reliving those vulnerable periods of time produces a film like no other.

“Playing a part of you from the past is very difficult because there’s a lot of truths that you may not agree with,” Johnson said. “But you still gotta be honest.”

As the film’s co-writer and RTA’s actual acting coach, Buell said the arts can be therapeutic.

“Through theater, a person is handed the tools to rebuild themselves from within,” Buell said. “On their own, in their own way, to become the person they were meant to be.”

“Sing Sing” is a masterclass of humanity, resilience and pure talent. The film inspires both awe and awareness with an introspective story that commands attention. It’s one of the best movies of the year thus far and a thoroughly extraordinary watch.

Yet the film, like its cast, is more than the sum of its parts. “Sing Sing” is a testament to recovery triumphing over penalty.

“Over 60 percent them are back in prison within three years, nationally,” Buell said about released inmates. “In our program — we are under three percent.”

“Sing Sing,” rated R, is in theaters now.