Watching Shakespeare Behind Bars really got me to thinking about several aspects of human nature, and of human life and its value. Shakespeare Behind Bars is an amazing documentary because it brings you to learn about the real life behind bars. But, why does it hit home so hard? Is it because, for some reason, we can identify with them? The viewer is also put in the situation – you want to forgive them as well, but can you? In addition to watching the inmates learn about themselves, we ourselves are learning about ourselves and human fragility of the mind. Admittedly, I never think about the men/women in prison. Sure, I’ve thought about prison, about what it’d be like, about what I’ve seen in movies, but I’ve never really dwelt on that for long. It may sound ridiculous (hello, Captain Obvious), but watching this movie, it struck me that – wow, these are men too. They are human. They’re not just some soulless/mindless bad-to-the-bone barbarians that you often think of when you think of prison. And, to be honest, we (or at least I) lean towards the thought that we are (I am) better than those in prison. And then you put yourself in their shoes – in their crimes, and later, in prison, and you wonder (in some cases) how you would have reacted differently – if you would have reacted differently. SBB, it seems, wasn’t just a documentary about inmates, but also, on some level, about being human (regardless of the crimes we’ve committed or how trivial. We all want forgiveness for something, we all want to find ourselves, and be better people).
But enough about that – what about the person in charge? The play director? He plays an extraordinarily significant role to these men. My first impression was that all these inmates were like children. They messed up, they are being punished, but they also need to be taught, like this man is doing for them. I see the director as a sort of father figure to them. And yet, at the same time, he isn’t. I admire him for being able to work with these men, through all their issues, helping them find themselves. What I like the most, though, is that he treats the men with respect. He is the teacher (who has not committed these heinous crimes), and yet when he is with them, he is on their level. He does not proclaim superiority, and the men do not disrespect him because he’s “different,” which is what I initially expected. What’s more, he mentions that “Shakespeare would have loved this group.” This line really hit home, because not only does it fit so perfectly, this line, to the men, would make them feel as though they truly had a purpose, that there was more to just… being in locked up in a cell. Even in prison, they can have a calling (Big G for example, mentoring younger/newer inmates).
