Greg Kwedar’s Sing Sing debuted at TIFF in 2023 to much buzz and an acquisition from A24. In the months since, its star, Colman Domingo, has become an Oscar nominee, which only caused the hype to grow even stronger. It earns every bit of the praise it has gotten, as it is one of the best-directed and best-performed films in years.
Based on a true story told in an Esquire article, Sing Sing chronicles the lives of a group of inmates in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility who participate in a drama program as part of their rehabilitation process. Although a few of the beats in the movie are somewhat conventional, the film oozes such deep humanity that it is impossible not to fall in love with it and its subjects.
The most impressive thing about Sing Sing — of which there are many — is the level of empathy with which it approaches its characters. The movie challenges the audience to rethink their assumptions and presuppositions about the incarcerated community, shining a new light on these characters as human beings rather than their actions to which they are often reduced.
Sing Sing is a tremendously emotional, well-acted film
At the same time, it doesn’t feel like Kwedar and company are proselytizing. The film clearly has a lot to say about the status quo of the justice system and how it is unfair to lower-income communities and people of color, but the writers understand that they don’t need to beat this over the audience’s head. Instead, they let this incredible story and the people who inspired it speak for themselves.
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Colman Domingo is obviously incredible in his role here. In fact, this may be the single best performance in his already illustrious career. The same goes for Paul Raci, who balances the humor and heart of his role. However, part of what makes these performances so impressive is that he knows when to cede the spotlight to the other performers, who are the movie’s true heart and soul.
Many of the actors in the film are playing versions of themselves, and they are all genuinely astounding. The biggest discovery of the movie is Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, whose performance is unbelievably tender and restrained for someone making his film debut. His chemistry with Domingo is fantastic; their dynamic starts out seeming like a conventional rivalry but quickly evolves into something much more humanistic.
From a technical standpoint, the movie is also quite strong. It’s not particularly flashy, but the cinematography is elegant and close, lending it a strong feeling of intimacy. Bryce Dessner’s score is also excellent, perfectly accentuating the film’s emotion without ever feeling overbearing or needlessly sentimental.
Sing Sing immediately stands out as one of the most inspiring, moving, and crowd-pleasing movies of the year. Although many audiences will be drawn to the film for Colman Domingo, they will walk away most impressed by the incredible turns from the newcomers — especially “Divine Eye” Maclin. What could have been a sentimental crowd-pleaser is instead a tremendous, sensitive work of storytelling.
Sing Sing screened at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, which runs March 8-16 in Austin, TX.
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Rating: 10/10
