Sing Sing stars Colman Domingo as incarcerated prisoner, John “Divine G” Whitfield, who is imprisoned at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility for a crime he did not commit. During his time, he finds purpose through acting in a theater group known as the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) alongside incarcerated men, as well as a cautious newcomer, Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin. Sing Sing has been one of my most anticipated movies of the year solely for actor Colman Domingo. I managed to really go out of my way to the closest theater to me before it went away. Needless to say, it was well worth it.

My thoughts after seeing Sing Sing are not easy to compose. There is clearly a lot of heart and emotion put into this story. What director Greg Kwedar does helps elevate this story to a new level that makes it unlike other movie I have seen, and I have seen a lot of movies. The film is also written by one of the actors who plays as himself, Clarence Maclin. I am not all that familiar with Kwedar’s filmography, but it’s quite clear how intimate of a story he is able to craft with people who have also been incarcerated.

I think in today’s age, it’s hard to watch a movie, or even a TV show, about imprisoned people. In the past, you either see people continuing to be the worst in jail, either because they haven’t changed or that’s what they have to do to survive. This story brings a refreshing spin on prison life that ends up making this movie hopeful. It helps us understand another perspective of prison life. You can see where these men who are performing are clearly doing so to either escape the pain they have caused others or to help them pass the time when they were wrongly imprisoned.

The latter can speak for itself for Domingo’s performance as Divine G. Due to his wrongful imprisonment, he’s tried his best to leave behind a positive impact to those incarcerated. To him, acting helps him escape his troubles, especially when he can’t pass a parole hearing, but others who are worse than him can pass their parole hearing. It brings an earnest & deeply profound performance from Domingo. I have been championing for him for about a decade now. I have no clue how he has managed to fit in so many projects in his career, but it has paid off with this performance. I am going to be campaigning for his Best Actor win at the Oscars.

Alongside Domingo is Clarence Maclin, who as mentioned also wrote the story. Getting someone who has gone through this kind of experience was the right move as it ensures accuracy to this story for a wide audience. Maclin, if he hasn’t yet, will surely make a name for himself by the end. His dynamic with Domingo looks so effortless. Speaking of a wide audience, it is beyond me why didn’t get the wider release that it deserved. I have a feeling A24 got scared with how little money it was bringing in and scrapped most of the showings. It will be interesting to see how they handle awards season and if this will get rereleased. It should get released as I believe this movie came out at literally the worst time of the year.

There’s the rest of the supporting cast who are mainly incarcerated men, except for Paul Raci. All of the imprisoned men brought a sense of realism to the story. This approach brings the authenticity of its true story to life. I really got the impression that I was not only there with these guys, but that these were real people. Bringing people in who are familiar with this program even helps with the importance of why this story needs to be told. As for Paul Raci, I honestly forgot that his last big performance was that of a deaf man in Sound of Metal. In that film, I honestly thought he was deaf. Here, I really thought he was the guy’s teacher in real life and didn’t register he was the same person from Sound of Metal.

The technical aspects, such as the cinematography and score, helps hone in on the emotion and the reality of the story. The cinematography allows the camera to capture symmetrical shots to give the impression how these guys are locked into a system. That everyday is, and should be, the same. When these guys are acting, the colors represent how much life they bring to their performances. The score helps heighten the emotion that reminded me of my experience watching Minari. It’s quite clear every technical level of the film makes this film deserving of a Best Picture nomination.

While the film does have glowing reviews, I also went in knowing that it wasn’t going to be for everyone. The film is rather short and the plays not fully shown. If a slow-burn, character-driven film doesn’t seem appealing, I am not sure if it will be for everyone. But if you are looking for that kind of movie, you will get something sincere and meaningful. The film effectively makes use of its time with only a 107-minute runtime with not a single moment ever wasted. As for the plays, I saw them reaching that point where they could perform in front of others the end of their character arcs. These characters are driven to be better people through acting, and once they reach the point of acting in front of others, they have reached their individual purpose.

Overall, Sing Sing is unlike any other movie I have ever seen. Colman Domingo turns in his best performance yet, Clarence Maclin will make a name for himself after this, and the technical components bring plenty of emotion to the film. It’s easily one of the best movies of the year that will surely earn many awards nominations, and hopefully, win some big ones.

VERDICT: 5/5 (Perfect)