Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Solitary

      Released Dec 9, 2016 1h 22m Documentary TRAILER for Solitary: Trailer 1 List
      Reviews 82% Fewer than 50 Ratings Audience Score Filmmaker Kristi Jacobson follows several inmates as they start prison sentences in Virginia's Red Onion State Prison. Read More Read Less Watch on Max Stream Now

      Where to Watch

      Solitary

      Max

      Watch Solitary with a subscription on Max.

      Audience Reviews

      View All (2) audience reviews
      Audience Member Well-done documentary about a Virginia prison where people are sent specifically to be incarcerated in solitary cells for 23 hours a day. I learned a lot. Before watching this, I didn't even know there were specialty prisons for solitary. The most telling part of the movie is the interviews with inmates talking about how they tried to cope. Most of them "just wanted something to do" but were denied the ability to contribute to their own life or the lives of others in any way. With no other stimuli, they talked about how important it felt to fight for the small rights they had 'I am supposed to get 2 pieces of bread on my plate, and on a day when I don't, it makes me get so frustrated and angry.' Also highlighted were the dehumanizing aspects. The lights in their cells are so bright that when they look out their small window at the guards, their pupils widen to adjust to the light difference, giving them the appearance of being inhuman/crazy. Every time they leave their cells its 'give me all your clothes, turn around, spread your butt cheeks, bend over and cough.' Most telling is the video of unit managers doing daily rounds where they are supposed to talk to the inmates through the door for a few seconds, to see how each one is doing. One inmate, participating in a "step-down" program to go to a less secure, more social wing of the prison, asks the manager when he can go. The manager responds that the inmate needs to complete a program. The inmate says he has, and attempts to show the manager a certificate of completion, but the unit manager ignores the inmate and only repeats several times that the inmate needs to complete the already-completed program, then walks off. It's clear that the prison guards are talking-at rather than listening to the inmates, even when the inmates are following the rules, and this is rightfully very upsetting for the prisoners. I attended a panel after the film where an administrator at the prison highlighted the procedures the staff at the prison are supposed to go through. A parent of one prisoner spoke up to say "Your written procedures are great. If they were followed, they would be wonderful. But if they were followed, I wouldn't need to be here today, speaking out. If they were followed, this documentary wouldn't have been made." Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member An impartial look at a federal prison, every aspect is covered. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Movie News & Guides

      View All Movie News & Guides

      This movie is featured in the following articles.

      Film Independent Awards: Moonlight Sweeps with 6 Wins Independent Spirit Awards Nominations 2017 Announced

      Videos

      View All videos

      Solitary

      Solitary: Trailer 1 Solitary: Trailer 1 2:11 View more videos

      Photos

      View All Solitary photos

      Solitary

      Solitary (2016) Solitary (2016) Solitary (2016) Solitary (2016) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (4) Critics Reviews
      Michael Rechtshaffen Los Angeles Times Jacobson shines a spotlight on a troublingly murky corner of the criminal justice system - one in which prison officials, not the courts, determine the necessity for and the duration of long-term segregation. Dec 1, 2016 Full Review Phil W. Bayles One Room With A View The scope of the access that director Kristi Jacobson has been given for Solitary is incredible...But it's the inmates themselves, and their contradictions, who are most fascinating. Rated: 4/5 Apr 2, 2019 Full Review Sean Mulvihill FanboyNation.com This is a movie that is presented with empathy in mind and really makes you wonder whether the punishment dehumanizes those on both sides of the bars. Rated: 4/5 Nov 1, 2018 Full Review Nora Lee Mandel FF2 Media In-depth portrait of ROSP in southwest Virginia is a revelation about the modern system of full-time incarceration in the over 40 supermax prisons...Indelible...Thoughtful. Rated: 10/10 Aug 20, 2016 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Filmmaker Kristi Jacobson follows several inmates as they start prison sentences in Virginia's Red Onion State Prison.
      Director
      Kristi Jacobson
      Production Co
      Motto Pictures
      Genre
      Documentary
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Dec 9, 2016, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 17, 2017
      Runtime
      1h 22m
      Most Popular at Home Now