Lynn’s Best Movies Round-Up of 2024

Lynn’s Best Movies Round-Up of 2024

By Lynn Venhaus
Themes? Trends? Moments? How to sum up a year in cinema, when hundreds of films are released in theaters and on streaming to satisfy a diverse public. What gets people out of the house and into a theater when they’re buying a ticket? I’m curious.

Above all with me is storytelling. Then we’ll see about the bells and whistles, the “experience” enhancement, and who’s part of the team on screen and off. The very best feeling is discovering the small gems or being dazzled by the big swings, those who won’t play it safe.

And this year, those were evident in a very erratic year where titles like “Civil War” and “Challengers” were divisive. Everyone has their reasons for why a film clicks.

Two of the themes I responded to were the transformative power of the arts – “Sing Sing,” “Ghostlight,” “A Complete Unknown”) and women trying to hold on to their dignity when people try to take it away (“Anora,” “The Substance,” “The Last Showgirl”).

So, here are the films that connected with me. While I’ve seen about 150, there are films I’ve yet to see that could have made a difference on my annual “best” list, but all in the timing.

I am surprised as much as everyone how the year landed, and I will likely need to re-watch a few too. What always happens during FYC season, when the studios barrage us with content, viewings can be rushed and not digested appropriately.

Without further ado, and I’ve prolonged this annual opus long enough trying to cram more in, my very personal list of what I liked in 2024. To those who attempted to carve a new direction, try a different approach, reach people through our shared humanity, I salute you.

Top Ten Films

1. Dune: Part Two – A masterful melding of massive spectacle, heartfelt high-stakes performances, and astonishing visual artistry, this follow-up to the 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 best-selling science fiction novel of all-time expanded the mythic hero’s journey to its full potential. This chronicle of a feudal interstellar society opened Feb. 25, and director Denis Villeneuve’s enthralling cinematic marvel far surpassed any other epic-wannabe this year.

2. The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Boldly showing political turmoil and paranoia in Iran through a fictional family’s experiences, director Mohammad Rasoulof challenges the totalitarian state by depicting the corruption that led the current situation. He uses a judge’s wife and daughters as people who come to learn what’s really happening as society crumbles. It’s a powerfully told, well-acted stunning achievement.

3. A Complete Unknown – Anchored by Timothee Chalamet’s brilliant immersive portrayal of a young Bob Dylan, this exhilarating, extraordinary film recreates a period when art, music and culture came together to significantly define the 1960s. The actors portraying Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Johnny Cash are also in top form. Whether you like Dylan’s music or not is immaterial – director James Mangold makes us feel his impact, and it’s glorious.

4. Sing Sing – Colman Domingo is at his career-best as a wrongly convicted man incarcerated at Sing Sing prison, who has found redemption through the Rehabilitation Program for the Arts. With an ensemble cast including former prisoners, this drama feels like part of a documentary. With its play presentation framework, the film resonates emotionally in a moving example of the transformative power of the arts.

5. Conclave – A religious-political thriller with a page-turning plot, this procedural to elect a Catholic church pontiff unfolds like palace intrigue. Impeccably presented and acted by an ace ensemble lead by Ralph Fiennes, director Edward Berger reveals the human drama involved in power plays, mysterious maneuvers and shattering secrets. It’s an outstanding film in every way.

6. A Real Pain – Complicated family ties and honoring Jewish heritage are explored in this warm and genuine comedy-drama about two once-close cousins reconnecting on a Holocaust tour. Its power is disarming, and Jesse Eisenberg’s nimble narrative gives Emmy winner Kieran Culkin another opportunity to shine as he shows the effect of grief and loss on a fragile lost soul. This is a rare film that eloquently speaks in an intimate but universal way.

7. Emilia Perez – An exhilarating wild ride that puts romance, desire, redemption, humor, and a dark side all into play. Fearless writer-director Jacques Audiard’s bold fever dream colors outside the genre lines, for its an unconventional cartel crime thriller that’s a musical, in Spanish language, operatic in tone and organic in its delivery of songs and dance. Four women seek happiness on their own terms – Karla Sofia Gascon, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz — and the result is bravura filmmaking.

8. Wicked – A dazzling spectacle based on the 2003 Broadway musical fantasy, this timeless tale of friendship and love was a true big-screen movie event. With eye-popping production values, sensational performances, stunning costumes, and those thrilling Stephen Schwartz songs, this vivid re-imagining is only the first half. Yes, it’s too long, but it is an absolute must-see.

9. September 5 – The 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich became a horrific breaking news event on September 5, when Israeli wrestling players were taken hostage by a Palestinian terrorist group. That thrust the ABC Sports crew into action covering the event as the world’s eyes and ears. This intense and riveting film, with its crackerjack ensemble cast in the broadcast control room, recreates that day from their perspective in astonishing detail.

10. Saturday Night – It’s a kinetic snapshot of what happened that fateful wild and crazy night when “Saturday Night Live” premiered on Oct. 11, 1975. As producer Lorne Michaels, Gabriel LaBelle corrals the best ensemble cast of the year. Writer-director Jason Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan capture the frenetic pace and the backstage lunacy that forever changed late-night comedy.

Honorable Mention
All We Imagine as Light
Anora
Exhibiting Forgiveness
The Fall Guy
Fly Me to the Moon
Ghostlight
His Three Daughters
Hundreds of Beavers
The Last Showgirl
Maria
My Old Ass
Nickel Boys
The Performance
The Piano Lesson
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Thelma
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Foul
The Wild Robot

Mohammad Rasoulof “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”


Best Director
Denis Villeneuve “Dune: Part Two”
Edward Berger “Conclave”
Jacques Audiard ‘Emilia Perez”
Mohammad Rasoulof “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
James Mangold “A Complete Unknown”
Payal Kapadia “All We Imagine as Light”

Best Actor
Colman Domingo “Sing Sing”
Timothee Chalamet “A Complete Unknown”
Ralph Fiennes “Conclave”
Hugh Grant “Heretic”
Sebastian Stan “A Different Man” and “The Apprentice”
Adrien Brody “The Brutalist”
Jeremy Piven “The Performance”
Jude Law “The Order”
Keith Kupferer “Ghostlight”
Andre Holland “Exhibiting Forgiveness”

Best Actress
Saoirse Ronan “The Outrun”
Angelina Jolie “Maria”
Marianne Jean-Baptiste “Hard Truths”
Karla Sofia Gascon “Emilia Perez”
Cynthia Erivo “Wicked”
Fernanda Montenegro “I’m Still Here”
Mikey Madison “Anora”
Pamela Anderson “The Last Showgirl”
June Squibb “Thelma”
Tilda Swinton “The Room Next Door”

Best Supporting Actor
Kieran Culkin “A Real Pain”
John Magaro “September 5”
Stanley Tucci “Conclave”
Jeremy Strong “The Apprentice”
Denzel Washington “Gladiator 2”
Adam Pearson “A Different Man”
Edward Norton “A Complete Unknown”
Clarence Maclin “Sing Sing”
Yura Borisov “Anora”
Richard Roundtree “Thelma””

Best Supporting Actress
Zoe Saldana “Emilia Perez”
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor “Nickel Boys”
Danielle Deadwyler “The Piano Lesson”
Ariana Grande “Wicked”
Monica Barbaro “A Complete Unknown”
Elle Fanning “A Complete Unknown”
Isabella Rossellini “Conclave”
Tilda Swinton “Problemista”
Natasha Lyonne “His Three Daughters”
Michelle Austin “Hard Truths”

Ghostlight

Best Ensemble
“Saturday Night”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Conclave”
“Wicked”
:”September 5
“The Piano Lesson”
“Sing Sing”
“Anora”
“Ghostlight’
“His Three Daughters”
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”

Best Original Screenplay
Jesse Eisenberg “A Real Pain”
Mohammad Rasoulof “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan “Saturday Night”
Megan Park “My Old Ass”
Azazel Jacobs “His Three Daughters”
Kelly O’Sullivan “Ghostlight”
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David “September 5”
Adam Elliot “Memoir of a Snail”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Peter Straughan “Conclave”
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John Divine G Whitfield “Sing Sing”
Jacques Audiard “Emilia Perez”
Shira Piven “The Performance”
Malcolm Washington “The Piano Lesson”
Barry Jenkins “The Fire Inside”

Saturday Night

Best Cinematography
Greig Fraser “Dune: Part Two”
Lol Crawley “The Brutalist”
Jomo Fray “Nickel Boys”
Edward Lachman “Maria”
Jarin Blaschke “Nosferatu”

Best Musical Score
Daniel Blumberg “The Brutalist”
Camille and Clement Ducol “Emilia Perez”
Kris Bowers “The Wild Robot”
Volker Bertelmann “Conclave”
Jon Batiste “Saturday Night”

Best Soundtrack
A Complete Unknown
The Fall Guy
Maria
Fly Me to the Moon
Twisters
Deadpool & Wolverine
The Idea of You

Best Production Design
“The Brutalist”
“Blitz”
“Maria”
“Wicked”
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
“Conclave”
“September 5”
“Dune Part Two”
“Hundreds of Beavers”
“Saturday Night”

Wicked

Best Costume Design
Paul Tazewell “Wicked”
Massimo Cantini Parrini “Maria”
Colleen Atwood “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
Mike Cheslik “Hundreds of Beavers”
Jacqueline West “Dune: Part Two”
Danny Glicker “Saturday Night”
Mary Zophres “Fly Me to the Moon”

Best Visual Effects
Dune Part 2
Alien: Romulus
Wicked
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Deadpool & Wolverine
Twisters
A Quiet Place: Day One
The Fall Guy
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Problemista

Best Make-Up and Hair
Dune: Part 2
Wicked
Saturday Night
The Substance
A Different Man
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Elliott (Maisy Stella) in MY OLD ASS Photo: Marni Grossman/Prime Video © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

Juvenile Performances
Maisy Stella “My Old Ass”
Elliott Heffernan “Blitz”
Alyla Browne “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
Katherine Mallen Kupferer “Ghostlight”
Izaac Wang “Didi”
Ian Foreman “Exhibiting Forgiveness”
Cailee Fleming “IF”
William A. Fitzgerald “Ezra”
Nico Parker “Suncoast”
Blake Cameron James and Gian Knight Ramirez “We Grown Now”

Best Comedy

Hundreds of Beavers
Saturday Night
My Old Ass
Fly Me to the Moon
Thelma
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Memoir of a Snail

Stunt Work
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Gladiator 2
Dune Part 2
Deadpool & Wolverine

Best Animated Feature
The Wild Robot
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Flow
Memoir of a Snail
Inside Out 2
Piece by Piece

Will and Harper

Best Documentary Feature
Sugarcane
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Black Box Diaries
Will & Harper
Dahomey
Frida
Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Story
Music by John Williams
Stopping the Steal
The Last of the Sea Women
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Honorable Mention: Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburg, To Russia with Lev, The Truth vs. Alex Jones, The Greatest Night in Pop, I Am Celine Dion, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,

Best International Feature
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Emilia Perez
All We Imagine As Light
I’m Still Here
Vermiglio

Best Horror Film
Longlegs
A Quiet Place: Day One
Late Night with the Devil
Heretic
The Substance

Best Scenes
Civil War – “What kind of American are you?”
Dune: Part Two – Riding the Sandworm
Furiosa – War Rig battle
His Three Daughters – Dad’s Chair
Challengers – The Churros
Wicked – Defying Gravity
Hard Truths – Mother’s Day brunch


‘Conclave’ Leads All Film Nominations for the 2024 AWFJ EDA Awards

‘Conclave’ Leads All Film Nominations for the 2024 AWFJ EDA Awards

Emilia Perez, The Brutalist and Anora are among those nominated for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay

(New York, NY, December 12, 2024) – Since 2006, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) has presented annual EDA Awards, representing professional women critics’ collective perspectives on movies and cinema culture in the movie awards arena, where female critics and critical opinion are still greatly underrepresented. AWFJ honors female creatives in non-gender specific awards categories and in unique Female Focus categories designated for women only.  

This year, Edward Berger’s papal thriller CONCLAVE led all films with 9 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Adapted), Best Supporting Actress (Isabella Rossellini), Best Actor (Ralph Fiennes), Best Supporting Actor (Stanley Tucci), Best Ensemble Cast and Casting Director, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Jacques Audiard’s EMILIA PEREZ grabbed 8 nods with Sean Baker’s ANORA and Brady Corbet’s THE BRUTALIST garnering 7; all were nominated for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted). In the Female Focus Section, THE SUBSTANCE filmmaker Coralie Fargeat squares off with ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT’S Payal Kapadia for both Best Woman Director and Best Female Screenwriter, with Nykiya Adams (BIRD), Karla Sofia Gascon (EMILIA PEREZ) and Mikey Madison (ANORA) all among those vying for the award for Best Women’s Breakthrough Performance.

“We are proud that this year’s member-determined roster of nominees includes female contenders in non-gender specific categories, including Coralie Fargeat in the Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay categories, along with Payal Kapadia, who is nominated for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Film,” said Jennifer Merin, President of the 90-member AWFJ. “We hope to see similar recognition of women filmmakers at this year’s Oscars and various guild awards, as well as with other critic’s awards groups.” 

In preparation for the awards season, AWFJ tracks femme-helmed and femme-centric films released throughout the year. The 2024 list of EDA Award-eligible femme-helmed and/or femme-centric films includes more than 500 titles. Many of these female-made movies are small budget productions that receive neither wide distribution nor critical consideration. This impressive number of independently produced films indicates the high level of female filmmaker proactivity in contradiction to the grim statistics consistently reported in major studies about female film production. AWFJ advocates for acknowledgment of these films and recognition for their filmmakers, not only during awards season, but throughout the year with the Movie of the Week feature published every Monday on AWFJ.org, and other regular features. 

The EDAs are named in honor of AWFJ founder Merin’s mother, Eda Reiss Merin, a stage, film and television actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. A dedicated foot soldier in the industry, Eda was one of the founders of AFTRA and a long-standing member of AMPAS. EDA is also an acronym for Excellent Dynamic Activism, qualities shared by Eda Reiss Merin, AWFJ members and those honored with EDA Awards.

Here is the list of nominees:

Nickel Boys

OFFICIAL 2024 EDA AWARDS NOMINATIONS 

BEST OF AWARDS
BEST FILM 

  • ANORA
  • CONCLAVE
  • EMILIA PEREZ
  • NICKEL BOYS
  • SING SING
  • THE BRUTALIST
  • THE SUBSTANCE
  • WICKED

BEST DIRECTOR

  • JACQUES AUDIARD – EMILIA PEREZ
  • SEAN BAKER – ANORA
  • EDWARD BERGER – CONCLAVE
  • BRADY CORBET – THE BRUTALIST
  • CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE
  • PAYAL KAPADIA – ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
The Substance

BEST SCREENPLAY, ORIGINAL

  • ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT – PAYAL KAPADIA
  • ANORA – SEAN BAKER
  • A REAL PAIN – JESSE EISENBERG
  • HARD TRUTHS – MIKE LEIGH
  • THE SUBSTANCE – CORALIE FARGEAT
  • THE BRUTALIST – BRADY CORBET AND MONA FASTVOLD

BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED

  • CONCLAVE – PETER STRAUGHAN, ROBERT HARRIS
  • EMILIA PEREZ – JACQUES AUDIARD, THOMAS BIDEGAIN, LEA MYSIUS
  • NICKEL BOYS – RaMell ROSS, JOSLYN BARNES, COLSON WHITEHEAD
  • NOSFERATU – ROBERT EGGERS
  • SING SING – JOHN H. RICHARDSON, BRENT BUELL, CLINT BENTLEY
  • THE WILD ROBOT – CHRIS SANDERS, PETER BROWN
Black Box Diaries

BEST DOCUMENTARY

  • BLACK BOX DIARIES – SHIDORI ITO
  • DAHOMEY – MATI DIOP
  • DAUGHTERS – ANGELA PATTON, NATALIE RAE
  • THE LAST OF THE SEA WOMEN – SUE KIM
  • SUGARCANE – EMILY KASSIE, JASON BRAVE NOISECAT
  • WILL & HARPER – JOSH GREENBAUM

BEST ANIMATED FILM

  • FLOW
  • HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS
  • INSIDE OUT 2
  • MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
  • THE WILD ROBOT
  • WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
Wicked

BEST ACTRESS 

  • CYNTHIA ERIVO – WICKED
  • KARLA SOFIA GASCON – EMILIA PEREZ
  • MARIANNE JEAN-BAPTISTE – HARD TRUTHS
  • MIKEY MADISON – ANORA
  • DEMI MOORE – THE SUBSTANCE
  • JUNE SQUIBB – THEMA

BEST ACTRESS, SUPPORTING 

  • JOAN CHEN – DIDI
  • DANIELLE DEADWYLER – THE PIANO LESSON
  • AUNJANUE ELLIS-TAYLOR – NICKEL BOYS
  • MARGARET QUALLEY – THE SUBSTANCE
  • ISABELLA ROSSELLINI – CONCLAVE
  • ZOE SALDANA – EMILIA PEREZ

BEST ACTOR 

  • ADRIEN BRODY – THE BRUTALIST
  • DANIEL CRAIG – QUEER
  • COLMAN DOMINGO – SING SING
  • RALPH FIENNES – CONCLAVE
  • HUGH GRANT – HERETIC
  • SEBASTIAN STAN – THE APPRENTICE

BEST ACTOR, SUPPORTING 

  • YURA BORISOV – ANORA
  • KIERAN CULKIN – A REAL PAIN
  • CLARENCE MACLIN – SING SING
  • GUY PEARCE – THE BRUTALIST
  • STANLEY TUCCI – CONCLAVE
  • DENZEL WASHNGTON – GLADIATOR II
Saturday Night

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST AND CASTING DIRECTOR

  • ANORA
  • CHALLENGERS
  • CONCLAVE
  • EMILIA PEREZ
  • SATURDAY NIGHT
  • WICKED

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 

  • CONCLAVE
  • DUNE II
  • NICKEL BOYS
  • NOSFERATU
  • THE BRUTALIST
  • WICKED

BEST EDITING

  • ANORA
  • CONCLAVE
  • EMILIA PEREZ
  • FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA
  • THE BRUTALIST
  • THE SUBSTANCE
All We Imagine As Light

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

  • ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
  • DAHOMEY
  • EMILIA PEREZ
  • FLOW
  • LA CHIMERA
  • THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST WOMAN DIRECTOR 

  • ANDREA ARNOLD – BIRD
  • GIA COPPOLA – THE LAST SHOWGIRL
  • CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE
  • PAYAL KAPADIA – ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
  • MEGAN PARK – MY OLD ASS
  • ALICE ROHRWACHER – LA CHIMERA
My Old Ass

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST FEMALE SCREENWRITER 

  • ANDREA ARNOLD – BIRD
  • CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE
  • PAYAL KAPADIA – ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
  • MEGAN PARK – MY OLD ASS
  • ALICE ROHRWACHER – LA CHIMERA
  • ERICA TREMBLAY, MICIANA ALISE – FANCY DANCE

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST ANIMATED/VOICED PERFORMANCE

  • AYO EDEBIRI – INSIDE OUT 2
  • MAYA HAWKE – INSIDE OUT 2
  • LUPITA NYONG’O – THE WILD ROBOT
  • AMY POEHLER – INSIDE OUT 2
  • SARAH SNOOK – MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
  • JACKI WEAVER – MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
Emilia Perez

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST WOMEN’S BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

  • NYKIYA ADAMS – BIRD
  • KARLA SOFIA GASCON – EMILIA PEREZ
  • MIKEY MADISON – ANORA
  • KATY O’BRIAN – LOVE LIES BLEEDING
  • JUNE SQUIBB – THELMA
  • MAISY STELLA – MY OLD ASS

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST STUNT PERFORMANCE 

  • NIKKI BERWICK – STUNT COORDINATOR, GLADIATOR II
  • ALEX JAY (for ZENDAYA) – DUNE II
  • HAYLEY WRIGHT (for ANYA TAYLOR-JOY) – FURIOSA
  • KATY O’BRIAN – LOVE LIES BLEEDING
  • CAILEE SPAENY – ALIEN ROMULUS
  • JUNE SQUIBB – THELMA
June Squibb as “Thelma.”

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Inc. (AWFJ) is a not-for-profit professional association of highly qualified female movie critics, reporters and feature writers working in print, broadcast and online media, dedicated to supporting work by and about women – both in front of and behind the cameras – through intra-group promotional activities, outreach programs and by presenting awards in recognition of outstanding accomplishments (the best and worst) by and about women in the movies. AWFJ was founded in 2006 by Jennifer Merin, Maitland McDonagh, Joanna Langfield and Jenny Halper. In addition to the year end awards, AWFJ presents EDA Awards at partner festivals, keeps an active and interactive record of fiction feature and documentary films by and/or about women, and/or are of particular interest to women because they focus on women’s issues. We welcome information that will allow us to keep our lists updated. Lists are made available to members and the general public on our Web site at AWFJ.org. For further information, contact AWFJ President Jennifer Merin at awfjinc@gmail.com.

‘Sing Sing’ Is A Powerful, Empathetic Drama

‘Sing Sing’ Is A Powerful, Empathetic Drama

By Alex McPherson

With an impressive ensemble cast and an emotionally satisfying narrative, director Greg Kwedar’s “Sing Sing” is an earnest, occasionally programmatic tribute to the power of art, community, and resilience that foregrounds the humanity of the incarcerated and spotlights a program that deserves center-stage.

Kwedar’s film, shot across multiple decommissioned correctional facilities, takes place at the titular Sing Sing prison in New York, and revolves around the prison’s Rehabilitation Through the Arts program (RTA). The RTA gives inmates opportunities to express themselves artistically and grow personally, most often by performing theater (ranging from the classics to their own creations) to an audience of their peers and family, directed by the shaggy-haired Brent Buell (Paul Raci).

As the group reflects, practices, and performs together, the program offers a chance to get a brief respite from the claustrophobia of their confinement.

We primarily follow John “Divine G” Whitfield (Colman Domingo), a wise, patient, and determined “leader” of the RTA with a history as an actor who, imprisoned for a crime he’s trying to prove he didn’t commit, splits his time writing novels and plays with preparing for an upcoming clemency hearing.

Divine G radiates warmth and generosity but battles his own demons. He finds an essential element of escapism and fulfillment in the group, whose members are largely portrayed by actual alums of the RTA, playing themselves to powerful effect.

While scouting for talent and thinking of ideas for their new production — which ends up being a time-traveling epic featuring mummies, Hamlet, and Freddy Krueger — Divine G and his close friend Mike Mike (Sean San Jose) convince a live-wire inmate named Divine Eye (Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin) to join the program.

Divine Eye, who has a concerning need to assert dominance and also casually quotes “King Lear,” adds a potentially dangerous element to the group, grappling with his deep-seated insecurities and butting heads with Divine G, who’s miffed when Divine Eye is cast as Hamlet in the new play. As the tight-knit group continues their preparations, Divine G and Divine Eye develop a friendship, teaching each other lessons about life and the power of art to persevere amidst grim circumstances.

Indeed, “Sing Sing” is a gripping experience — depicting a real-life program that changes lives, brought to life by performances that bring raw vulnerability to the table. Kwedar’s film emphasizes the ways that creative outlets can move, transport, and give meaning, without reducing its subjects to simplistic archetypes.

Perhaps most importantly of all, “Sing Sing” empathetically depicts those that society all-too-often defines by their worst instincts. It recognizes its subjects as flawed, but real individuals not seeking to be absolved for their crimes, but to reclaim their humanity within a dehumanizing system.

Based on John H. Richardson’s Esquire article “The Sing Sing Follies” as well as the real-life Divine G and Divine Eye’s experiences in the program, “Sing Sing” is poignant without becoming maudlin, and hopeful without sugarcoating the realities of prison life. Kwedar’s direction radiates authenticity, both emotional and literal, adopting a documentary-esque approach that (for the most part) helps scenes flow organically and with a sense of spontaneity.

Kwedar and cinematographer Pat Scola give ample time for scenes to breathe, observing RTA members as they reflect on their lives and hone their craft together in a manner that’s cinematic without being showy, aided by a moody score from Bryce Dessner. Given that many of the people we see on-screen are actual alums with the program, each performance in “Sing Sing” is memorable, no matter how little time we spend with anyone besides Divine G and Divine Eye. Their pain, yearning, and catharsis is vividly conveyed. 

Through Kwedar’s direction, we feel the claustrophobia, the pressure of always being watched, the sensation of time lost, and the potential for unexpected violence. In most cases, though, “Sing Sing” refuses to simplify, rendering its ideas through exceptional performances and a naturalistic screenplay by Kwedar and co-writer Clint Bentley that’s filled with drama, melancholy, and unexpected humor. It only sometimes sacrifices nuance to hammer home its main points.

Domingo is typically strong here, far more understated than his Oscar-nominated turn in last year’s “Rustin.” Divine G has an assured confidence that belies inner fear and rage at the system. He finds the RTA a sanctuary from the mounting pressure of his clemency hearing and the perils of prison life.

Domingo poignantly conveys Divine G’s psychological layers, often without voicing them outright, as Divine G’s façade gradually cracks and reforms; the RTA community helps him feel whole again even as reality seeks to hold him down. 

But the real star of “Sing Sing” is Maclin, whose performance as Divine Eye is downright masterful, alternating between uneasy and compassionate. Divine Eye’s gradual shift from fatalism is a familiar arc, for sure, but Maclin’s performance really sells the emotions on display, giving even the character’s formulaic moments necessary weight. 

Divine Eye’s burgeoning friendship with Divine G provides much of the film’s throughline. It never becomes sappy, and it evolves convincingly over the runtime. Divine G sees part of himself reflected in Divine Eye, and vice versa, as they grapple with that elusive feeling that is hope. Maclin stands tall alongside Domingo, worthy of serious awards consideration by year’s end.

“Sing Sing” is not immune from cliché in some respects, especially regarding some “climactic” moments that, while crowd-pleasing, come off as conventional in retrospect. A heavy-handed line of dialogue will occasionally rear its head, too, which feels out of place with the otherwise tight screenplay.

These quibbles do not detract much from the film’s impact overall, however, and “Sing Sing” is unquestionably worth watching, a timely reminder of the unifying power of art and community, and the strength of the human spirit.

“Sing Sing” is a 2024 drama directed by Greg Kwedar and starring Colman Domingo, Paul Raci, Sean San Jose and Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin. It is rated R for language throughout, and is 1 hour, 47 minutes. It opened in limited theatres on Aug. 16, and is currently expanding into others, including Chase Park Plaza Cinema and AMC Creve Coeur Cine Aug. 23 and HI-Pointe Cinema Sept. 6. Alex’s Grade: A-.