The Work (2017) is a documentary about a therapy program at Folsom Prison called Inside Circle, which focuses on those who are incarcerated. For a four day workshop, non-prisoners are invited to volunteer their time and participate in the treatment. Following three free men who have agreed to be part of Inside Circle, the film focuses on one circle and highlights the most emotional, traumatic moments from the group therapy. As the experienced councillors say, the therapy is not an end to itself but the beginning of an ongoing process. The work itself isn’t perfect: in its process of unpacking masculinity – the tendency to shut off or sidestep expressing deep emotion or trauma – there is also a tendency to repeat masculine codes: “If you’re going to cry, cry with your head up like a man,” one prisoner advises. The newcomers, those who are free, have a variety of reasons – some which are genuine (one never knew their father who was in prison), some confrontational (one seems to get a kick out of being able to wisecrack against the intimidating prisoners). Often the unburdening takes the form of guttural howls and physical altercations. Jarius McCleary, one of the directors along with Gethin Aldous, is the son of a leader in the program and one of the main facilitators, and the filmmakers were volunteers and involved over the past several years. As a result, the film captures the intimacy of the group circle, even as we hear the commotion of other groups in the same room, screams and howls and tears off screen. The cameras capture not just the subject discussing their pain, often revolving around an absent father or a betrayal of trust, but also observes the reactions from those in the circle and how it can set off their own emotional discussions. Some might question the performative nature, how the presence of the camera affects everything. That’s the subjectivity of documentaries one has to wrestle with. The Work, as a film, provokes reflections on how masculinity is performed and some understanding of the humanity of those in prison, some of whom we learn the nature of their crimes, others which are left unsaid. I found it to be a very raw, deeply affecting experience. Available to stream on SBS On Demand. Recommended.
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