This movie is partially based on real-life experiences of inmates in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at the maximum security Sing Sing prison. The inmates in the RTA program put on a plays and the plot follows them as they prep for their next play. Existing members participate and new members join.
Divine G (Colman Domingo) is the star of the RTA program. He’s a lead actor, and sometimes the playwright. He’s also in jail for a crime he didn’t commit and works with other prisoners to prep for their amnesty and parole hearings.
A new member, the thug Divine Eye (Clarence Maclin), joins the program for the new play. At first he’s resistant but as the prep for the play goes on he starts to appreciate what Divine G and the RTA program are doing for him.
It’s clear throughout the film that the RTA program isn’t just about putting on plays, it’s a kind of therapy for the prisoners and also a chance for them to imagine themselves outside of prison.
Colman Domingo seems to be in multiple Oscar movies the past few years, and you can see why, he’s a very powerful actor, he owns nearly every scene he’s in. But Clarence Maclin as Divine Eye (playing a version of himself) also delivers quite the performance.
I usually don’t really enjoy movies that seem to be uplifting stories solely to win awards; however I enjoyed every minute of this film.