Sing Sing is a film that follows a group of incarcerated men in the Sing Sing prison. The group puts on a play through the Rehabilatation Through the Arts program.  It stars professional actors Colman Domingo and Paul Raci, alongside many real-life formerly incarcerated men who were themselves alumni of the program during their incarceration, including Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin and Sean San José.

Sing Sing was one of those films I was excited to see when I first heard about it at TIFF last year. Colman Domingo absolutely shines through in the film in the role of John “Divine G” Whitfield. I have been a fan of Domingo for some time and truly feel this performance will be a game changer. The amount of raw energy that Domingo is able to push through this character is incredible. You feel every amount of struggle and hope pouring out each word. Colman does an amazing job at also communicating solely with facial expressions that speak as loud as his words.

The rest of the ensemble cast which consists of mainly past and current incarcerated men is incredible as well. You really feel these men’s hurt as they speak and act in the film but also the hope they still have. It truly is a film that will touch your soul and see the humanity inside all of us. Sing Sing decides to showcase a side of incarcerated men that is rarely shown through mainstream media.

Sing Sing manages to captivate you from the beginning as you are rooting for these men. You realize along the road the power of healing through not only art, but brotherhood. In our society, we rarely get to see men be vulnerable, so it was a beautiful thing to see in this film; Sing Sing decides to tackle that and deconstruct it. We witness how the walls they set up are brought down and how they are able to find a sliver of hope in the darkness that is the prison system.

Although Sing Sing does juggle some pretty heavy themes and story, it still manages to have fun. The pure joy that comes from seeing individuals finally letting go of societal norms and being happy was amazing to watch. At its core, Sing Sing just follows a group of men who might have never had the chance to express themselves artistically. We now see them finally able to freely be who they want to be, and it really does move you.

Overall, Sing Sing will be one of the most important films you see all year. It truly cements Colman as one of the best working actors today. Domingo completely delivers one of the best performances of the year in Sing Sing. The film is devastating and full of hope all at the same time with some incredible acting from the ensemble. Sing Sing will clearly be a front runner when it comes to award season and deserves all the awards. A film that is both incredibly acted with a beautiful message of finding your soul through the arts.

We give Sing Sing 5/5.