“Sing Sing” (2023 production, 2024 release). Cast: Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci, Sean San José, Sharon Washington, David “Dap” Giraudy, Patrick “Preme” Griffin, Mosi Eagle, James “Big E” Williams, Sean “Dino” Johnson, Camillo “Carmine” Lovacco, Dario Peña, Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez, Pedro Cotto, Miguel Valentin, John “Divine G” Whitfield. Director: Greg Kwedar. Screenplay: Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar. Story: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin and John “Divine G” Whitfield. Source Material: Brent Buell, Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code (play), and John H. Richardson, The Sing Sing Follies (play), as chronicled in Esquire magazine (October 2005). Web site. Trailer.

When everything gets taken away from one’s life, it must be nearly impossible to find something that provides a meaningful reason to carry on. The pervasive sense of hopelessness that sets in makes it difficult to establish a purpose in one’s existence. And so it often is for the incarcerated, individuals faced with an uncertain future of indeterminate duration. Under conditions as difficult as these, realistically speaking, one can’t help but wonder whether even the prospect of rehabilitation will actually pan out as a viable option for reversing one’s fortunes. But, for some, there’s hope through a seemingly unlikely source – the arts, as chronicled in the new fact-based drama, “Sing Sing.”

John “Divine G” Whitfield (Colman Domingo) struggles to make his way through everyday life as an inmate at Sing Sing, the infamous maximum security penitentiary in Ossining, NY, located on the banks of the Hudson River about 40 miles north of New York City. Having been sentenced to a life term for a homicide he didn’t commit, he eagerly awaits his parole hearing in hopes of finally proving and establishing his innocence, a springboard to his release and a return to mainstream society. Until then, however, he looks for ways to bring meaning to his life, such as assisting fellow inmates with preparation for their own parole hearings. But his greatest source of personal satisfaction comes from a somewhat unlikely source – the arts.

As a driving force in the prison’s Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program, Divine G plays a leading role in this initiative aimed at giving inmates a positive outlet for their creativity, talents and feelings, as well as providing them with a means of turning their lives around. He and his peers work tirelessly to stage and perform theatrical productions for the prison population, a much-needed diversion for those behind bars. It’s based on a passion that has long been in Divine G’s blood, having attended New York’s High School for the Performing Arts as a teenager, where he gained experience as an actor and dancer, skills he’s at last able to put to use. In carrying out this mission, he does a little bit of everything, from writing to acting to staging, with the invaluable assistance of acclaimed writer-director-producer Brent Buell (Paul Raci), Divine G’s best friend Mike Mike (Sean San José), and, of course, the fellow members of the RTA troupe (many of whose real-life alumni portray themselves in the picture).

In addition to focusing on the experience of Divine G, the film tells the story of Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin (playing himself), a newcomer to the RTA program. Unlike the other members of the troupe, however, Maclin is a renegade and outsider who frequently comes across as someone who’s ill-suited for the program. He’s rougher around the edges and has a reputation as something of a prison yard bad ass, selling drugs and strongarming others when he sees fit. In fact, given his overall attitude and his outspoken opinions about the program, there are times when it seems like Maclin himself isn’t sure why he sought to become an RTA member in the first place. And, yet, for whatever reason, there he is, looking for a way to fit in – and to understand that both as a member of the group and for himself.

As one of the principals of the troupe, Divine G tries to help Maclin assimilate, but it’s a process that often doesn’t go smoothly. He’d like to believe that the newcomer has a place, but he has trouble seeing what it might be. Which is where Brent steps up to the plate – he can see that Maclin possesses qualities that can help to shake up the group, to help make it more dynamic, a contribution that will benefit the program and empower the new arrival in ways he probably hadn’t envisioned for himself.

The film follows the development of the RTA’s latest production and the unfolding of the personal and artistic relationships among its cast members. In doing so, the picture is thus more character-driven than narrative-based, providing an outstanding showcase for the players to come alive as readily defined, fully fleshed out individuals (undoubtedly a benefit of having an ensemble of actors portraying themselves). While the story may consequently meander a bit as it plays out, it nevertheless gives viewers an up-close, intimate look at the emergence of the troupe’s theatrical work in a setting not typical of what most actors go through in bringing their work to life. It also focuses on the triumphs and disappointments that they experience, some of which are germane to their environment and others of which are not unlike what all of us go through in our everyday lives, albeit under conditions far different from what many of us are familiar with or accustomed to.

In the end, though, “Sing Sing” is most inspiring for its depiction of the resilience of the human spirit under extremely trying conditions. It celebrates the act of creating for its own sake and how that practice can feed the soul at a time when it’s most in need of nourishment. And it shows how any of us can rise above our circumstances as a means to get by. Art has a tremendous power to accomplish that, as these characters – and the actors who experienced their stories firsthand – so aptly illustrate for all of us.

When the circumstances of our lives become seemingly insurmountable, it’s time to get creative in finding ways to cope and overcome those difficulties. Indeed, it’s a matter of survival, considering that the alternative is surrender and all of the devastating ramifications that can come with it. Of course, it’s a matter of choice, and a daunting one at that, but it’s certainly preferable to rolling over and giving up. And it’s at times like these when the role of our beliefs takes on a crucial importance, for they play a key role in the manifestation of the reality we experience, a product of the conscious creation process, the philosophy that enables the realization of such outcomes. It’s unclear how many of us have heard of this school of thought (including those portrayed in this film), but it’s one of the few things we may have available to us to hold onto under these kinds of conditions.

Based on their actions and choices, the men of the RTA have obviously chosen not to give in. They’ve come to believe that they and their lives have value, that they can bring meaning into them and themselves, both in seeking to rehabilitate their existences and in contributing something to their world and the lives of their peers. They’ve drawn upon such thinking in ways that allow them to express themselves, to engage in acts of creation in one of the highest levels achievable – the arts. And, with it, they’ve brought satisfaction and fulfillment into their lives and those of others.

Divine G understands this clearly, given the depth of his involvement in the RTA program. Not only does he participate in it as a performer, but also as a writer, having penned the scripts for several of the troupe’s productions. These efforts provide him with an outlet for his creativity, as well as a foundation for his future, a line of probability to follow should he one day get the chance to pursue his dreams as a free man. And it’s wisdom that he seeks to pass along to Divine Eye as well, someone who at this point is a diamond in the rough but could easily come to sparkle if he believes in himself and gives the process a chance to work.

The aspiring actors here have also become proficient at drawing to themselves the resources they need to make all of this possible. Their presence behind bars is, in itself, not a deterrent to the formation of and adherence to beliefs that lead to the inspired manifestations they seek to create. First, they have one another to draw upon, using their collective collaborative capabilities to bring their productions into being. And then they have the guidance afforded them by Buell, an artistic counselor who gently but insightfully helps to show them the way, not only as performers, but also as empowered individuals capable of great things when they believe in themselves and their capabilities. Buell also grants them tremendous leeway in how they conduct themselves, including everything from what they perform to how they perform it, a kind of freedom that’s a rare commodity in their world but that they cherish deeply when allowed to express it.

The impact of this effort is undeniable. The program’s participants are different people from whom they were when initially incarcerated. By taking part in the RTA, they’ve significantly helped foster their own rehabilitation, enabling them to move on to successful careers on the outside. They’ve also helped to spur on the program’s growth, which now operates out of six facilities in the New York State prison system, offering programs that go beyond theater to include music, dance, visual art and writing, as well as initiatives aimed at helping inmates reimagine themselves upon reentry into society and aiding RTA alumni in pursuing new ventures in their new lives. Something must be working here, too, given that the organization’s web site boasts a healthy success rate, with only 3% recidivism among its participants, compared to a national average of 60% for those who don’t partake in such programs. It would appear that a little belief in oneself truly can go a long way.

With a cast featuring both professional actors and alumni of the RTA troupe, viewers witness the impact of this program in its efforts to bring meaning – and hope – to its participants during their time behind bars. Director Greg Kwedar’s second feature provides an up-close look at the lives of these aspiring actors, both in terms of their on-stage pursuits and their everyday lives under conditions most of us probably can’t even begin to imagine. While the picture’s narrative is admittedly a little thin at times, that’s more than made up for in the film’s superb performances, led by Domingo, Maclin, Raci and San José, who, like virtually everyone else in this fine ensemble, bring an unmatched depth to their characters and interpersonal relationships, easily among the best work in these areas that I’ve seen in quite some time. In doing so, this offering also takes audiences on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, from uplifting joys to heartfelt disappointments, revealing the tremendous strength of character driving these individuals. That’s particularly poignant knowing that many of those in this production can relate to their circumstances from firsthand experience, thereby infusing this release with a level of unabridged authenticity seldom seen on the big screen.

For its efforts, “Sing Sing” stands a good chance of being one of 2024’s awards season contenders, especially in the acting categories, showing us what’s possible when we allow our passions to surface for their own sake, especially when we have nothing to lose by doing so, a genuine source of inspiration from whom we might least likely expect it. The film is currently playing theatrically.

After watching “Sing Sing,” it might be easy to characterize this film as a story about its environment and carefully crafted characters, and that would be true to a certain extent. But, upon closer inspection, the picture carries a deeper meaning potentially applicable to us all, namely, how to cope with troubling circumstances in a positive and meaningful way by drawing upon our quest to create, a process that, when carried out successfully, can lead to the personal resurgence we so eagerly crave. It’s a life lesson that we should take to heart and apply when the situation warrants. Doing so may ultimately be our salvation, our own way of making that proverbial lemonade when the ingredients for it are all we have to work with. It may not be an ideal solution, but it can certainly quench our thirst when no other options are available. And, at a time like that, it just may end up tasting like the sweetest of nectars, something more satisfying than anything we could possibly imagine.

Copyright © 2024, by Brent Marchant. All rights reserved.