Rise and Reform

How are these Movies Showing the Humanity Inside Prisons?

If you’re like me, you probably spend a lot of your free time this winter watching movies. Most notably (if you’re looking for recommendations) was Coherence, Weapons, Sinners, and my two favourites, Sing Sing (Prime) and The Quilters (Netflix).

As you might already know, I got an undergrad degree in Film and Media Production from Humber Polytechnic before coming to Seneca Polytechnic for my post grad certificate. So, when I found Sing Sing, I was really intrigued. I’m excited to be able to make a post that involves two things I’m so passionate about! 

Sing Sing is a fictional story based on a real program called Rehabilitation Through Arts (RTA). The program runs out of Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York. The movie looks like it has been shot on film, and has documentary-style cinematography, which I thought was a really nice touch. A couple weeks after I finished watching the movie, I mentioned it to my friend, Raven, and she recommended The Quilters.

As you can imagine, I am really excited to get to write about not one, but TWO movies that showcase programs inside prisons! I’ll get into each of them more specifically in just a moment. But I’d like to share some preliminary thoughts with you first. 

One thing I loved about both of these films is how they showed a lot of emotional vulnerability in the men going through the RTA and the quilter program. Something I mentioned early on in these blogs is that, in many cases, people get sent to prison after committing some bad, and even violent crimes. But what these art programs offer them is a chance for them to express their emotions in a healthy way. More on that later. 

So, what is the RTA? 

As I wrote above, it’s a prison arts program that runs in New York. They offer music, visual arts, theatre, and creative writing courses for inmates, but this movie specifically focuses on the theatre program. It showcases a group of men inside Sing Sing Correctional Facility spending a couple of weeks working on a theatre production for fellow inmates. 

The film features a group of men, some of which are professional actors that you might recognize, some of which are actually former inmates who went through the RTA program in real life! 

What is The Quilters about?

It’s a 33 minute documentary on Netflix showing a program based in a Missouri maximum security prison. A group of men in this prison have gotten together to create quilts as birthday gifts for foster children in surrounding counties. It’s not only a really quick, educational watch, but is also a really emotionally vulnerable documentary. 

The men in this program put so much care and attention into each quilt they make, some of them even undoing the entire quilt if even a couple stitches are off. Each quilt looks professionally made, and each one is completely unique and one of a kind. 

What I noticed about this is that the men don’t really get anything out of it- they are just doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They aren’t making quilts in exchange for a reduced sentence or extra privileges, but just because they want to make someone in the foster care system happy. 

When we talk about prison, we often forget that the people we’re talking about are human beings. These people have made mistakes, and have regrets, but at the end of the day, all the people featured in Sing Sing and The Quilters are longing for a way to make things right and put something good into the world. In The Quilters especially, the men featured in this film just had an innate desire to do something that made someone else happy. Yes, these people have done some bad things, but it’s programs like The RTA, The Quilters Program, and The Pros and Cons, that gives people the chance to put some good in the world.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you! If you’ve watched either of these films, comment below and let me know what you thought of them!