O.G.
Film poster
Directed byMadeleine Sackler
Written byStephen Belber
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyWolfgang Held
Edited byFrédéric Thoraval
Music byNathaniel Méchaly
Production
companies
Great Curve Films
Brookstreet Pictures
Distributed byHBO
Release dates
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

O.G. is a 2018 American drama film directed by Madeleine Sackler and written by Stephen Belber. The film stars Jeffrey Wright, William Fichtner, Boyd Holbrook, Mare Winningham, David Patrick Kelly and Yul Vazquez. The film premiered on HBO on February 23, 2019. The film was entirely filmed in Pendleton Correctional Facility, a maximum security (Level 4) prison in Indiana.[1]

Plot

The film follows the story of a man preparing to reenter civilian life after 26 years in prison. He must choose between his own freedom and the opportunity to protect a younger fellow inmate.[2]

Cast

Many of the prison's inmates and guards were used as actors and extras. Inmates were selected based on behavior; those with disciplinary actions against them were not eligible.[5]

Release

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 20, 2018.[6][7][8] On October 12, 2018, HBO acquired distribution rights to the film.[9] The film premiered on HBO on February 23, 2019.[10]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 89% based on reviews from nine critics.[11] On Metacritic the film has a score of 69 out of 100 based on reviews from 8 critics.[12]

Jeffrey Wright was awarded the "Best Actor in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film" at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival for his role in the film.[13]

Ben Travers at IndieWire gave it a grade B and wrote: "Can be a tad slow, a touch too simple, and even a little distracted from making a larger, more declarative point about modern incarceration. But by carving its own path through Louis...it's nothing short of original."[14] Aryn Braun of The Economist said about the movie, "If Ms Sackler’s goal was to break the stereotypes inherent in the prison-drama genre, she succeeded."[15] The Document Podcast host, Matt Holzman, of KCRW said ""Madeleine wanted to make a movie that basically asks, 'is incarceration the best way to deal with people who commit crimes?"[16] A reviewer for the Chicago Sun Times wrote "Director Madeleine Sackler does a magnificent job of plunging us into this world, in which inmates are almost always seeing things through the bars of their cells, or the tiny windows giving them a glimpse of the sky."[17]

In 2019, the film was listed as one of The Marshall Project's picks for Criminal Justice in Movies, TV, and Podcasts.[18]

In his 2021 book, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, Patrick Radden Keefe notes the mysterious source of funding for the project, likely from Madeline Sackler's inheritance from her family, the prime drivers of America's opioid epidemic. The film's star Jeffrey Wright himself expressed concerns. Keefe writes, "Wright had sent Madeleine an email, praising the 'honesty and openness' of the men in her documentary. But there is an 'elephant' in the room, he wrote. 'You've provided a tremendous gift to those men. Something the likes of which they've rarely, if ever been given.' But they know 'nothing of your story,' he pointed out. ' You never spoke to me about any of that. I was aware and only once tried to broach the subject with you. You didn't open up about it. I went on with my work.' Wright wanted to address it now, though. 'Do you think you should take into consideration that this will become part of the dialogue around these films?' he asked." Madeleine did not respond.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ O'Falt, Chris (2018-04-24). "Filmmaking in Jail: How Director Madeleine Sackler Shot Two Movies in a Maximum-Security Prison". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  2. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2018-01-19). "Madeleine Sackler, Smokehouse's George Clooney & Grant Heslov Wrap First Narrative Film Shot Completely In Maximum Security Prison". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  3. ↑ "I'm in Prison—And on HBO". The Marshall Project. 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  4. ↑ "TV picks for Feb. 23-24: 'Independent Film Spirit Awards,' 'O.G.,' 'It's a Hard Truth Ain't It'". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  5. ↑ Paumgarten, Nick. "A Prison Film Made in Prison". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  6. ↑ Grobar, Matt (2018-04-20). "'O.G.'s Jeffrey Wright Talks Shooting In Maximum Security Prison". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  7. ↑ Chris O'Falt (2018-04-24). "Tribeca: O.G. & It's A Hard Truth Ain't It Shot in Max-Security Prison". IndieWire. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  8. ↑ "Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Madeleine Sackler — "O.G."". womenandhollywood.com. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  9. ↑ "HBO Acquires Jeffrey Wright Prison Movie 'O.G.'". The Hollywood Reporter. 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  10. ↑ "HBO Films' "O.G.," Starring Jeffrey Wright, Debuts Feb. 23". TheFutonCritic.com. 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  11. ↑ "O.G. (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  12. ↑ "O.G." Metacritic.
  13. ↑ Cox, Gordon (2018-04-26). "Jeffrey Wright, Alia Shawkat, 'Diane' Win Awards at Tribeca Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  14. ↑ Travers, Ben (23 February 2019). "'O.G.' Review: Jeffrey Wright Awes in a Meditative HBO Film Shot in a Working Prison". IndieWire.
  15. ↑ "Breaking out of the jailhouse drama genre". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  16. ↑ "A Hard Truth | The Document". KCRW. 2019-03-05. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  17. ↑ Roeper, Richard (2019-02-22). "In 'O.G.,' shot at an Indiana prison, Jeffrey Wright stuns as inmate nearly free". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  18. ↑ "Our 2019 Picks for Criminal Justice in Movies, TV and Podcasts". The Marshall Project. 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  19. ↑ Patrick Radden Keefe, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Family (New York: Doubleday) 322.
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