Wednesday 21 August 2024
SING SING: A must see movie
by Godwin Ifedi, Editor
Some 200 people were at the ByTowne cinema on Rideau Street last night for the advance screening of the movie: SING SING. Starring Colman Domingo, Paul Raci, Clarence Maclin and Sean San José, it is the story of Divine G. Imprisoned at the infamous Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, for a crime he didn’t commit, he finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men. Billed as a “story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art”, this movie is unique in that many of the cast were alumni of this jail, who had completed their sentences and were able to bring their lived experience into this powerful narrative. What a moving experience watching individuals with absolutely no acting training or experience, gradually emerge from their comfort zone to embed themselves in a journey of self discovery and find a purpose in life in the most brutal “correctional and rehabilitation” environment. As each actor grew into his part, one was particularly touched by Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, struggling to master not only the lines of Shakespeare’s famous soliloquy, “To be or not to be”, but to take on the persona of a real-life prince and convey the pain and frustration of living a life he could no longer tolerate. Excruciating is the only way to describe the viewer’s emotions as one prisoner left the theatre world of make-believe, to attend his real-life parole hearing with real life officials deciding his fate.
One would not want to give away the entire story line, but rest assured SING SING is a most enthralling must-see movie.
Watch the trailer: here
Photo source: Files from Kate Parkes at Elevation Pictures