RADIO INTERVIEWS |
FILM REVIEWS |
Shakespeare himself couldn't have written better or more complex characters, and far from strange, by the end of this extraordinary film you couldn't imagine Shakespeare performed anywhere else. - Ken Fox, TV Guide READ REVIEW |
Perhaps it's just the inner drama geek talking, but there's something extremely compelling about seeing hardened felons preparing to put on a classic play with the enthusiasm of giddy schoolgirls. - Luke Y. Thompson, New Times READ REVIEW |
A portrait of repentant convicts that is both heartbreaking and unnerving. - Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer READ REVIEW |
The up-close interviews with the prisoners, many of whom are in jail for murder, are the heart of the film. - Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor READ REVIEW |
Few non-fiction films about the arts hit as hard or soar to such heights of poetry and humanity. - Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune READ REVIEW |
The film makes the case -- one that always needs making -- that, despite what they've done, these men retain some shred of humanity. - Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle READ REVIEW |
By presenting murderers as actors and then filming those actors discussing their sins, the line between performance and soul-searching blurs in unnerving ways. - Mike Russell, Oregonian REVIEW NO LONGER AVAILABLE ONLINE |
The mere fact that Shakespeare can teach hardened criminals to search their souls gives hope that forgiveness and redemption are possible -- even at the bottom of the human barrel. - Jami Bernard, New York Daily News READ REVIEW |
A truly inspiring documentary that depicts the salutary effects of prison inmates performing in an annual Shakespeare production. - Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice READ REVIEW |
Rogerson has crafted an emotionally satisfying exploration of the creative process through people who, before the program started, weren’t comfortable with expressing themselves at all. - Jeremy Mathews, Film Threat READ REVIEW |
I found this documentary to be sobering, even optimistic ... it's a reminder that being human means being complex. - Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies READ REVIEW |
In Shakespeare Behind Bars, the most restricted people in society find freedom in performance and release in words. - Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times READ REVIEW |
Albeit a tad repetitive, Shakespeare Behind Bars succeeds in humanizing men we might too easily label as monsters, and provides a solid argument in favor of prisons that place rehabilitation above retribution. - Jessica Winter, Los Angeles Weekly READ REVIEW |
Rogerson's structure is ingenious: He dilutes our initial skepticism by showcasing the prisoners' thoughtfulness and intelligence, and as soon as we've come to care for the men he shocks us with the details of their crimes. - Matt Singer, Village Voice READ REVIEW |
Observes as the inmates use theater to massage knots of guilt and anguish in their psyches. - Wesley Morris, Boston Globe READ REVIEW |
Rogerson and producer Jilann Spitzmiller ably convey the humanity of the inmates while also exposing them as deeply flawed individuals. The film also reconfirms the enduring relevance and power of Shakespeare and his adaptability to almost any milieu. - Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times READ REVIEW |
An immensely moving tribute to the power of art. - Moira McDonald, Seattle Times READ REVIEW |
FILM FESTIVALS and AWARDS |
Sundance Film Festival - World Premiere - Documentary Competition, Nominated for Grand Jury Prize |
