The Work

Dir. Jairus McLeary, co-dir. Gethin Aldous. 2017, 89 mins. DCP. Set inside a single room in Folsom Prison, The Work follows three men from outside as they participate in a four-day group therapy retreat with level-four convicts. What causes free men to voluntarily enter jail for four days is not at first apparent, but as each prisoner delves deep into his past, the raw and revealing process forces the outsiders to see themselves and the prisoners in unexpected ways. Their experience rhymes with that of the viewer, who, thanks to the filmmakers’ unprecedented access, is thrust into the middle of some of the most riveting and transformative moments imaginable. “The Work knocks down a few preconceptions that viewers might hold about what it means to be a ‘hardened’ criminal, and whether people can truly change. Many of the men in the film have spent significant portions of their lives locked up, and they help a few visitors discover what it means to be free.”—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter. Winner Best Documentary at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival.

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