Things I'm Loving (v.25)
Prison rehabilitation through theatre, connecting with family through funny photos, youth-inspired fun songs and the surprising community of animals.
The week before this past week was a busy(!) week. I participated in the Mess of Success summit and then on Friday, thanks to a county grant program, my furnace, hot water heater, and heat pump were all replaced(!) At one point there were six different crews of guys in my (tiny) house. 😮
With such a busy week, I had fun putting this week’s TIL together in a low key sort of way. That’s what my nervous system needs anyways.
Hope you find something here that tickles your fancy!
Something that defies categorization
Have you seen the movie Sing Sing?
Until this past weekend, I hadn’t.
This movie tells the story of imprisoned men who participate in a program called Rehabilitation Through the Arts and the transformation and healing that occurs in this space.
*At some point in the future, I may write an essay about the movie. But for now I’ll share a few summary thoughts with you.*
The movie was co-written and contributors included folks who’d been incarcerated. Many of the actors were also formerly incarcerated.
The movie wasn’t prison porn or tragedy porn. It was real and nuanced and complex. That’s possible when you have #ownvoices involved and spearheading the telling of their own stories.
It’s also the story of men loving and supporting men in a vulnerable way. They fight, they cry, they celebrate and encourage.
For the production of the film, they hired a therapist to be there and present to the former inmates, to address anything that came up while they were in prison garb, in actual prisons. How responsible of them. They also had pay equity for everyone involved in the film, not just the actors.
Although this poster says coming soon, the movie itself premiered in 2023.
In a time where hope continues to be something we must actively watch for and tend to, this movie added so much hope to my week.
Here are two quotes that really capture what I think was most incredible about the film.
“There are times when a film can give you a glimpse of hope about humanity, about the human condition that mostly goes unseen, and about real human connection with others. It can shape how you view the world and others. That's the deep impact films have - if you're lucky. And that comes wonderfully packaged in the beautifully poetic film Sing Sing.”
– Trust the Process: A Conversation with the Filmmakers Behind the Critically Acclaimed Film ‘Sing Sing’ via Script Magazine
and
Our Take: Superior dramas inevitably find a way to present micro- and macro-conflicts through thoughtful writing that emphasizes depth of character and inspired performances like Domingo and Maclin give in Sing Sing. Such films work exposition into granular detail and give us a sense of what’s truly happening without stating it outright. And so Sing Sing is absolutely not a putting-on-a-show narrative building tension to the big third-act drawing of the curtain, but rather, a ruminative exploration of three exquisitely layered conflicts: The ideologically suspect foundation of a punitive American prison system, the existential weight on men incarcerated justly or unjustly, and the inner identity crises of Divine G and Divine Eye.
– Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Sing Sing’ on Max, a Deeply Moving Prison Drama Featuring an Oscar-Nominated Performance By Colman Domingo via Decider
Something to make you laugh
Okay. Now I know you’re saying to yourself (unless you have teenagers or are super into internet trends) WHY am I looking at this weird pic of your face, Monica? I know I still ask myself that everytime I see a pic like this.
I was first introduced to this angle photo (I think it’s called a .5 photo?) when we were all in TN for my brother-in-law’s funeral in January. We were eating at a Mexican restaurant, the night before the funeral, and my youngest brother, who’s also much cooler than I went around and took these photos of each of us from above.
Since then, I’ve received an innumerable amount of these from my nieces and sent my fair share.
I’ll admit. I don’t understand it one bit.
But, I know it keeps me connected to them, and harms nobody, so I’m in.
If you don’t have teenagers or tweens that are into this, maybe touch base with some other fun way to stay connected to the folks you love and care about.
Something(s) to listen to
Also via my nieces.
This Good Kid song, Mimi’s Delivery Service, is definitely the whitest of white alternative indie rock. The band itself is out of Canada (so sorry to all my Canadians for the dumbo who keeps threatening y’all’s sovereignty).
My nieces are capital O obsessed with this band. The tunes are catchy and remind me of early to mid Good Charlotte.
As always, if you have a song or band to recommend, please let me know! I’m always on the lookout for interesting music and my tastes are varied and far-reaching.
Wildcard: Something cool
I thought this post from Badger Run Wildlife Rehab on Facebook was really neat. I love how it’s sharing about animal communal care.
My friend who runs The Drachenhohle pointed out when they shared the post that:
“Animals understand community, even across lines of genus and species”
A necessary reminder for these days and times.
That’s it from me for this week!
If you enjoyed this and know someone else who’d find value in it, please pass it along and share with them. (and welcome to our new subscribers!)
~M