I had to leave this film after about one hour as so much of it was just too painful to watch. I felt I was, all these years later, still violating the privacy of the men filmed. Especially since they were forced to spend so much of their time naked, in cold bare rooms with nothing to read or view--nothing. How in god's name did the prison establishment think any sort of rehabilitation could take place in those circumstances? And the bullying of the men by the guards was horrific. Enough to drive anyone already in bad mental health completely insane. I rated it as I did, however, because in contrast to the sickening procedures shown, not to mention the shocking testimony of a man who casually spoke about sexually assaulting his daughter, Wiseman's camera caught some wonderfully joyful moments of song. In scenes from performances of the Follies show, one in particular of a white man and a black man doing a beautiful duet, made it possible for the viewer to imagine a better reality. A reality in which hope survives.
Review of Titicut Follies
