‘Sing Sing’, based on a true story, grapples with the question of rehabilitation within a prison environment, and the way art – in this case the performance of a theatre show by prisoners – is possibly a conduit towards therapy and transformation. Reminiscent of Andy Dufresne in ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ a man who believes he has been wrongfully imprisoned uses his time within the prison walls to educate and enhance the lives of his fellow inmates, teaching them to become better versions of themselves.

‘Sing Sing’ is not a conventional prison drama in any way, focusing on the way the production of a show fosters team building, resilience, empathy and the ability to generate a positive outlook on life in a milieu which by its very nature is more likely than not going to impair the soul. Colman Domingo, in an Oscar nominated performance, is Divine G, who has used his time in prison to write books and plays, and to perform as an actor in collaborative ventures which he oversees. In bringing a drug dealer into their midst, the dynamic of the group is challenged, and Divine G is marginalized within his own group, but he also accepts that the precepts of the group entail a more diverse outlook.

Divine G exhibits this very outlook, and is accommodating, even when a different play is staged to one that he wrote. Most of the prisoners in the film are real life former inmates at Sing Sing, playing themselves, and anyone expecting a more dramatic or action-based adventure, involving prison escapes, torture or corruption, hallmarks of the genre, will be disappointed. But in its place is a case study in resilience and the evolution of the human spirit within an adverse environment, where the emotions generated by a stage performance take us somewhere else, even if this film does meander and fails to tell a linear or clear narrative.

There are also several possible endings and the film takes its time to get to where it wants to go, but it does so with tenderness and a real sense of pride and sympathy for its subjects. The film is poignant in the way it addresses the parole hearing that Divine G receives, and where he is faced with the real possibility that in being released the Rehabilitation Through The Arts programme could end, and with it all the investment he has ploughed into such a worthy project over the years. While the performances take place, these men are no longer fighting the system but are nourished and redeemed through their art. Toxicity gives way to something more empathetic and hopeful, and its subdued nature is part of what makes it shine.