Directed by Greg Kwedar | Written by Kwedar, Chris Bentley, Clarence Maclin, and John Divine D Whitfield, based on The Sing Sing Follies by John H. Richardson and Breakin’ The Mummy’s Code by Brent Buell | 105 min | ▲▲▲▲△ | Amazon Prime

Here’s another special production from that most reliable American film studio, A24. Sing Sing is a deeply affecting drama about a group of inmates involved in the Rehabilitation Through The Arts program at Sing Sing maximum security prison up the Hudson from New York City. What distinguishes the film is it’s shot in the titular prison with actual inmates playing themselves in most of the key roles.

What it isn’t is plot driven. We’re dropped into this community of these surprisingly evolved convicts as they decide what their next theatrical project will be and who to let join their troupe. Their spiritual, creative leader is Divine D (Coleman Domingo), a caring, thoughtful, and creative guy. The other actors might not be so sophisticated, but they’re in touch with their feelings and enthusiastic about performing, whether it’s Shakespeare or something a little more lowbrow. In the yard they approach a threatening dude who has expressed an interest in joining up — Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, playing himself.

That’s the film’s key relationship, between Divine D and Clarence, and how one influences the other and, later on, they switch roles in one another’s life. Their arcs and sterling performances anchor the film’s emotional life.

It has an endearing rawness beneath its soft piano score and insularity — don’t look for the hard knocks of other prison movies here. We don’t get a lot of scenes of violence.  This is a safe space of growth and creativity — the action takes place almost exclusively within the RTA group as they rehearse their next piece and share personal stories. That rawness is born out of a truth and authenticity in the characters, an earnestness that carries through even when the drama is a bit awkward.

And the awkwardness extends to the direction — the opening few minutes includes a number of shots of birds. We get it, they’re free to fly, unlike the jailbirds. The over-reliance on handheld camera is also an indie-film crutch. And a couple of arbitrary events — the unexpected demise of a character feels shoehorned. One of the characters makes a remarkable change over the course of two scenes, undercutting the actor’s good work.

But these are nits to pick in an otherwise effective story of redemption. The elephant in any of these small rooms are the reasons these men might be in prison, the things they’ve done to earn the hard time. In a couple of instances you might be able to piece it together, but once again it’s not about what these people did in the past, it’s about what they can do to make their lives bearable in the present and generate hope in their futures.