From a review on imdb:
You really feel the power of the process and the after effects just by watching the documentary. Makes one wonder what it would be like to participate in it. (I was reminded of Jordan Peterson's views while watching.)
There was a great discussion with the guys who made the film on the dvd extras. All of them went through the 4 day process themselves. One of them described it thusly: "It was like something that was buried deep down got released, and it has been gone since."
They have had these "workshops" at the Folsom prison since 1999-2000. The guy who founded them, was present in the prison when there was a riot and the facility was in a lock down for seven months. During this time he was doing some soul searching, and came across Viktor Frankl's book, "Man's search for meaning".
I guess this kind of Work could be used as selection process to weed out psychopaths in prison, I doubt they would be willing to participate or could show emotions to this degree.
Anyways, I highly recommend the documentary!
The Work shows a group therapy program set in Folsom Prison, where a set of convicts, with brutal histories and broken lives, sit down with a few volunteers from the outside world and share their pain with each other in the most civilized manner possible.
The film does not sugarcoat anything, showing everything as it is, with honesty, but never exploiting or lessening the integrity of its subjects. The life stories and decisions the prisoners made in the past are gruesome and dark, but the program and documentary makes an effort to refrain from judging them by their actions alone, demonstrating that they are not that different from anybody else, they are human beings. There's the same amount of respect and emphasis on the volunteer's demons and struggles, which further reinforces the previous statement. The Work makes the wise choice of singling out a few characters, people and concentrate mainly on them and their baggage. Though I would have loved to hear everybody's story, this decision makes for a tighter and much more focused "narrative" and a more accessible documentary.
Throughout the film we meet some extraordinary men, get to explore their psyche and empathize with their life story. The Work is an intense, brutally raw and tearjerking look at manhood, humanity and the depressing reality of a life lived behind bars. It shines a light to this incredible therapy program and makes the viewer reflect on their own lives. One of the best and most affecting documentaries I've ever seen.
_http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5836866/?ref_=tt_urv
You really feel the power of the process and the after effects just by watching the documentary. Makes one wonder what it would be like to participate in it. (I was reminded of Jordan Peterson's views while watching.)
There was a great discussion with the guys who made the film on the dvd extras. All of them went through the 4 day process themselves. One of them described it thusly: "It was like something that was buried deep down got released, and it has been gone since."
They have had these "workshops" at the Folsom prison since 1999-2000. The guy who founded them, was present in the prison when there was a riot and the facility was in a lock down for seven months. During this time he was doing some soul searching, and came across Viktor Frankl's book, "Man's search for meaning".
I guess this kind of Work could be used as selection process to weed out psychopaths in prison, I doubt they would be willing to participate or could show emotions to this degree.
Anyways, I highly recommend the documentary!