review from "restorative justice online"

by Kate Strong
The documentary tells about the thorny evolution of an art project meant to unite inmates and the community, which started as a mere sketch of an idea in the minds of the inmates of Graterford State Prison.

By law, the inmates at Graterford State Prison must have their identities concealed when they appear in the media. So behind the iron bars of the law, two inmates speak. We see Tom's hands, the glint of his glasses as they dip in and out of the camera frame trained on his stubbly chin, the white shirt peeking out of his maroon jumper, as he expresses a sense of powerlessness in being able to make reparations.

Zafir has a beard, cornrows, a steady voice, and he laughs humorlessly as he tries to convey how far prison life is from life in the unincarcerated world. Tom and Zafir are people, but people obscured even in art by their status as inmates. We never see his eyes as Zafir says, "I don't want my legacy to be that I was just a murderer. I do have something to contribute. I'm still a human being, here I am."  Read full review >>