Over 400 years ago, Shakespeare wrote: “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”
Director, producer and screenwriter Greg Kwedar sees things differently. In his impressive film “Sing Sing,” Kwedar asks: What about the head that wears a cowboy hat or an ancient Egyptian headdress?
Creativity knows no bounds in Kwedar’s film, which is inspired by the true story of an original time-travel theater performed by prisoners: “Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code.” Named after the maximum security prison in Ossining, New York, “Sing Sing” features former inmates as actors to tell a timeless story of camaraderie, imagination and freedom.
The film’s cast is truly stellar – each cast member brings Kwedar’s story to life, whether through humor or heartbreak. Starring Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo in the lead role, the film highlights the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program at Sing Sing maximum security prison, a close-knit community that showcases the healing power of theater and self-expression. The RTA crew is led by Brent Buell – played in the film by the invigorating actor Paul Raci – a headstrong, authentic director who knows how to motivate the ensemble to perform. Buell brings character and humanity to the team of inmates, inspiring them to think big and act from the heart.
After monotonous performances of Shakespeare plays, an outsider on the team suggests putting on a comedy. Combining elements of time travel from the Stone Age and the Roman Empire, and even alluding to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Buell writes a clever, original production for the ensemble. Even in a bleak prison environment, the ensemble manages to find the good in everything, a skill that is not easy to learn.
This outsider, Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin (who plays himself in the film), grows and blossoms through RTA, while Domingo’s character, John “Divine G” Whitfield, a natural for more serious pieces, seems to do the opposite as the film progresses. This evolving relationship between Divine G and Divine Eye serves as the foundation of the story, from a complicated bond to one of camaraderie.
“Sing Sing” made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2023. The Roxbury International Film Festival hosted a screening of “Sing Sing” at the Museum of Fine Arts on the closing night of that week-long festival in June 2024. The screening was followed by a panel discussion with one of the film’s cast members, Dario Peña, and criminal justice reform activist David Delvalle. Hearing Peña and Delvalle share their courage with the festival audience reflected the ensemble’s strength and vulnerability with one another, and hearing about their actual experiences helped make the screening feel more intimate.
It may be obvious that the film’s title, “Sing Sing,” is a reference to the New York City prison, but it’s hard not to imagine a double meaning. Sing, sing. That faithful chant rings out throughout the film, giving every character, every story, a hint of hope. In that sense, Kwedar could be using the film’s title as a play on words, inspiring viewers to shine as brightly as his ensemble cast.
In September at TIFF, Buell made an appearance and put it perfectly during a Q&A: “Theater is the way to put a person back together and let them discover who they are.” “Sing Sing” has the power to move its audience to tears as it reorients our perspective on our personal freedoms through adversity, especially in a place as dark as the prison system. As one member of the ensemble said in the film, “We (part of RTA) become human again.”
