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Oscar season usually starts in late October, when the Best Picture hopefuls emerge. This year is different. Sing Sing, released last week, is already the front runner, according to Hollywood press, setting a very high bar for the rest of the year. Starring Colman Domingo, it tells the story of the Rehabilitation through the Arts (RTA) programme at Sing Sing prison in New York. Domingo plays former RTA member Divine G as he builds a complicated friendship with troubled new member Divine Eye, a standout performance from Clarence Maclin playing himself. The plot is simple – the group attempts to stage a time travel comedy they’ve written themselves, Breakin’ the Mummy Code. Framed by the violence, despair and injustice of jail, the high stakes jeopardy is relieved by humour and compassion. Real-life former and current members of the RTA make up most of the cast, holding their own with the Emmy winning Domingo. This isn’t Shawshank Redemption complete with white saviour. It’s about the vitality of community. It’s also the second film this summer with a non-professional cast after Kneecap, the comedy drama about eponymous Irish hip-hop trio.
