If you haven’t heard of this movie yet, you will. Come awards season. Mark my words. Sing Sing tells the story of a real-life program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison called Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA). RTA brings art workshops in theater, music, dance, visual arts, writing and poetry to incarcerated men and women. The film centers on a group of inmates involved in the creation of theatrical stage shows through the program and stars Colman Domingo (an Oscar nominee last year) as the de facto leader of the group.

That is everything I knew about this film going into it. Knowing myself, I expected tears. I did not expect to smile as much as I did during the first hour. I was really surprised by the lightness and sweetness in the portrayal of the group. The sense of camaraderie between the men and their joy and playfulness when getting to express themselves in the comfort of this setting was palpable. Seeing these grown men, many who are large and tough-looking with tattoos and more, doing silly theater exercises and games, seeing all the members support each other, seeing newcomers start to open up and find their place in the group, was all really heartwarming.

Then came the second hour. And the tears. After the joy and freedom we see in the context of the group, we are then reminded that this is all taking place in a prison. And, with that, comes the harsh realities of the lives of these men. We start to learn about their pasts, their loved ones, their hopelessness and regrets. They experience loss and letdown. We see that the RTA program might be the only thing holding them together. The group doesn’t just teach the men about art. It teaches them how to get in touch with and process their emotions and then gives them an outlet to express them. It gives them brotherhood and community and an arena to blow off steam and let loose in a healthy and productive way. It is clear that none of these men have ever had access to any of this before. I honestly don’t think that most men have. And it’s hard not to wonder if any of these men had had this sooner, maybe they wouldn’t have ended up where they did.

I once heard an actor describe giving an emotional performance by saying, “You don’t cry. They cry.” Essentially, the performance doesn’t have to be overwrought and affected, but, instead, it should make the audience break down. I don’t think we see that a lot in film and the more over-the-top, hysterical performances tend to be the ones that are recognized and rewarded. But the performances in Sing Sing show such restraint while still communicating emotion. It might be more impressive than an actor just falling apart. The film features many close up shots of characters’ faces during moments of poignant monologues so we can see the feeling on their faces and the thoughts behind their eyes, but they very rarely actually break. It’s powerful and heartbreaking. Almost more so for the composure they show in these moments. But the movie never lingers too long there. It doesn’t dwell in the sadness or dramatize it. It just is. It happens, especially in this prison, and then we move on. We have to. They didn’t cry, but I definitely did.

This is not really a spoiler movie, but if you really do not want to know anything about this film then skip this next part. The moment in the film that made me actually sob the most was the credits. That is when it is revealed that almost every actor in this movie is an actual, real-life RTA alum playing himself in the film. Particularly the second lead in the movie, Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, has such an extraordinary, strong presence on screen. It is wildly impressive to see his performance and know this is his first major role. The movie does feel startlingly raw and real and this is part of the reason why. These are real people, real faces, this is their real story and how they interact with each other. It gives it a semi-documentary feel. But at the same time, they did it. They’re actors now. Big-time actors in a movie that has a good chance at being nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The credits are intercut with home videos of the men performing on stage in their RTA shows. To go from that stage, in a prison, to a critically acclaimed movie is incredibly inspiring and heartening. And it made me sob right before the movie ended and they turned on the lights in the theater so everyone could see me.

I really haven’t stopped thinking about this movie since I saw it. It is powerful, sweet, heartwarming, emotional, beautiful, hopeful, and more. There were tears of sadness but also tears of happiness. Ultimately, it just made me feel. And that’s all you can really hope for in a movie. For some reason this film had a very complicated rollout in theaters and has been hard to see, but I’m hoping if it makes an awards push it will become more easily accessible. I highly recommend it to everyone. It’s an incredible story that is beautifully told and I want to see the entire cast and crew on that Oscars red carpet in March.

2024 Count: 25 seasons/specials, 49 movies