Movie Recommendation by AGuF
This month, we want to highlight Garrett Bradley and her documentary film “Time.” Mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex have been in the filmmakers’ eye for some time now, and since Ava Duvernay’s “13th” has found a resonant wide-spread audience. While many of these documentaries intermingle statistical evidence with the personal stories of those incarcerated, “Time” takes a different approach. Bradley follows Sibil Fox Richardson, who is lobbying for her husband’s release from prison. Having done time herself for her involvement in the armed robbery her husband is incarcerated for, the film details her experience dealing with the criminal system.
Mixing the black and white footage with material shot by the family, waiting is the overwhelming topic and experience. While the mother as a matriarch is the picture’s focal point, the film approaches the children’s coming-of-age with a father in prison. It also outlines Sibil’s approach to restorative justice and her intellectual standpoints as an abolitionist. Garret’s visual approach is striking as black and white photography and cinematography have been used to make footage of the Civil Rights Movement and its issues appear older than they are. Consequently, prison abolition appears as a continuation of past struggles, and a form of Black power and pride is foregrounded.
“Time” is available on Amazon Prime.
American Matters 