The phrase “Trust the Process” is another way of saying stick to the plan even when the plan seems to not be working. In the theater, it can be used to instill confidence in performers who may be having trouble, basically telling them to keep going and avoid distractions. And distractions are never more present than in a prison. So, the characters in Sing Sing really put their faith in Trusting the Process.
Sing Sing is about a Rehabilitation Through the Arts theater group in Sing Sing prison. The troupe is unofficially run by an incarcerated man/playwright named Divine G (Rustin’s Colman Domingo) with the help of an outside writer/director named Brent (Paul Raci from Sound of Metal). Tired of the usual tragedies they’ve been doing, the group decides to try their hand at comedy, and throws every idea from time travel to Freddy Krueger at Brent, who unbelievably comes up with a script for them.
The dynamic of the group is shifted when a new incarcerated man named Divine Eye (Clarence Maclin, playing himself) joins in. Divine Eye’s stubbornness irritates the rest of the men, but soon enough, he realizes what everyone else already knows: that the theater group is much more than just a way to kill time in the pen.
The story behind Sing Sing is real. It was based on a series of magazine articles by John H. Richardson called “The Sing Sing Follies” that were originally published in Esquire, and it is about the real Divine G (real name John Whitfield) and the real Divine Eye (Clarence Maclin).
The play produced by the incarcerated men in the movie is also real. It was based on Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code by the real Brent Buell, which was actually produced at Sing Sing in 2005 (and is just as crazy as the movie version, with a Pharoah meeting everyone from Robin Hood to Hamlet – and yes, Freddy Krueger, too).
Even the incarcerated men that make up the cast in Sing Sing are real. With the exception of Domingo and Raci, all of the main cast are RTA program alumni.
While Sing Sing is not your typical prison movie, writer/director Greg Kwedar and his co-writer Clint Bentley have crafted an extremely authentic and surprisingly genuine presentation of the correctional system. The participants in the RTA group are looking for something – anything – to hold on to that will keep them sane in the most insane of conditions. And they’ll do what they have to do in order to keep the program going, knowing that losing it means going back to the monotony of their daily lives.
Within the story of Sing Sing, “trust the process” takes on another, more sinister meaning. The men are constantly facing appeal inquiries, parole boards, and clemency hearings, so it’s quite a different process than the one that they trust in the RTA program. It’s a process that they are forced to trust without having any real faith in it – Divine G actually has evidence that exonerates him, but he has to jump through massive hoops to prove his innocence. It’s much easier to trust the theater process.
Speaking of Divine G, Colman Domingo’s portrayal of the sensitive incarcerated man is nothing short of amazing. Domingo pours his heart and soul into his performance, and his character’s arc goes from calm and steady to frustrated and panicked as the stress of both the theater performance and life in prison gets to him. Domingo leaves it all on screen, giving the year’s first Oscar-caliber performance.
Sing Sing manages to be both uplifting and unsettling at the same time. It’s a movie about making the best out of a bad situation, working together towards a common goal, and recognizing the redemptive power of the arts. It’s a subtly powerful movie.
The release of Sing Sing signals the arrival of the Academy Awards season, and Colman Domingo easily deserves at least a nomination. Whether or not he gets one remains to be seen. We’ll just have to Trust the Process.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: R for language
Running Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Release Date: Limited on July 12, 2024, expands wide throughout August
Studio: A24
This post was last modified on July 1, 2025 6:47 pm