By Maalik Hawkins
Trinity Times Movie Reviewer

Fresh off his Oscar-nominated role in 2023s “Rustin,” Coleman Domingo takes his formidable acting chops to this summer’s prison drama “Sing Sing,” a film distributed by A24, written and directed by Greg Kwedar. 

Though the film focuses on prison life, it’s a drama filled with motivation and forces the audience to seize on the emotions not expected in characters in this bleak world. 

As the film title suggests, “Sing Sing” takes place in the real Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York, and the story is based on a 2005 Esquire article about a group of inmates who participate in a theater program for the incarcerated. 

The film concentrates on the diverse matters the inmates have among themselves while trying to create a positive environment for the creativity needed for this theater initiative. 

The story follows the real-life participant of the program named John “Divine G” Whitfield – portrayed by Domingo – and his efforts to uplift others in the program and give them a passage back to humanity in a place that no longer regards inmates as human. 

Domingo’s passionate, yet forceful, performance adds depth and brightness to this gloomy premise. He has the voice and presence powerful enough to fill the space of a room but still allows the chemistry between him and his fellow cast members to shine around the cosmos he creates, like the glow surrounding a lightbulb. 

I’ve been a Domingo fan for some time, but I was blown away by one specific monologue and his intense manifestation of how things are for someone wishing for a second chance in life. 

A standout in this film is the performance from some of the other cast members who happen to be formerly incarcerated men who are alumni of the Sing Sing theater program. It’s a credit to Kwedar’s directing abilities and the commitment these men have to the subject matter. 

Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin plays himself in the movie and co-wrote the screenplay with the real John Whitfield, Kwedar and his script partner Clint Bentley. 

Maclin’s performance is stellar, and he brings a true grit and heart to the film. 

“Sing Sing” may seem like a feel-good movie, but it offers pure inspiration from discarded members of society.

The film is on a limited run in the Metropolitan Washington area https://tickets.singsing.movie/ through Sept. 5 and it’s dedicated to all of the men the theater program helped to rehabilitate and find new meaning to their story. 

It’s a true story of self-love, respect and redemption. 

Everyday Moviegoers – 9/10
Critics – 9.7/10
Cinephiles – 9.8/10

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Maalik Hawkins is a graduate student at Trinity Washington University