Sing Sing | Film Review

 

While imprisoned at Sing Sing Correctional Facility for a crime he didn't commit, Divine G (Colman Domingo) finds his purpose while putting on a comedy show with a group of other incarcerated men.

This is a film I hadn't heard much about until it was nominated for an Oscar, but once it was I looked it up and was definitely interested in seeing it.

I liked this film a lot.

The group of characters was really interesting. They were all unique, fascinating to watch and wholly authentic.

I knew before starting the film that a lot of the actors played themselves, as they were men that were formally incarcerated. But once I got into the film, I kind of forgot this. They felt like actors doing an amazing job of creating authenticity for these characters, so the fact that this was so real, and so close to them, just made the film a real experience to watch.

It was also shot really authentically in the sense that it felt like a documentary. It never felt like the actors were on a 'set', and you never think that the events of the film aren't really happening.

The relationship between Divine G (Domingo) and Divine Eye (playing himself) was really really lovely to watch. The actors had great chemistry and that really showed in the characters' interactions.

But the best thing about the characters is the way they develop. It's really powerful.

The film is very dialogue-heavy and character-focused, so if you don't like the characters you may not like the story.

And while I did like the characters, the film didn't grab me as much as I wanted it to. I liked it, but I didn't feel as connected with it as I would have liked to.

Overall, if nothing else, this film serves as an always-welcome reminder of how important the arts are. It was a striking, lovely watch, and while Domingo definitely deserves his nomination, many of the supporting cast should also be recognised a lot more than they have, particularly Divine Eye.

7/10