In one of the most notorious American prisons, there is an experimental therapeutic program designed for inmates to meet with civilians and literally exorcise demons from one another in groups, first through storytelling, then through physical action.
The demons are not metaphysical monsters, but rather the pain arising from unresolved relationships with parents, as well as the difficult-to-define inherited rage of American men.
The film crew employs a documentary technique of ‘fly on the wall’, but despite the rudimentary filming methods, everything is technically executed flawlessly, including the poetic scene where the heartbeat of two inmates alternates with their cries.
The effectiveness of the therapies is evidenced by the fact that almost none of the inmates who undergo the sessions and are pardoned return behind bars.
+ Director: Jairus McLeary + Featuring: Kiki, Dark Cloud, Vegas + The Work, USA, 2017, 89 minutes
