parrys2
Boys Behind Bars is a fantastic example of a low-budget, fantastic, quality content filled Indie film, with powerful social messages touching on all our deepest fears. So, what can be said about it?!?!?!? Quite a lot as it happens, I think I'll just say a little bit about the characters: Darrell: He is THE main character that this story revolves around. It is his cell and everything within it both possessions and people (whether wanted or not) are there for his personal amusement and potential gratification. He's happy (a relative term) with his situation and is totally comfortable with his social condition. For lack of a better phrase, he's conditioned and totally institutionalised.Seth: A fellow inmate and "friend" of Darrell, Seth is constantly reminding himself (and those around him as justification of his stance), that he has a life outside of prison, with family and friends to look forward to seeing and being with. He's prepared to look after himself but no one else. It's through each act of "inaction", that under the surface, he has bit by bit lost his humanity and is as much institutionalised as Darrell. The fact that he "joins in" with what happens in the cell, to me proves this.Lanks: He is a very tall and well-built man, who has totally accepted his situation and copes with it, through the familiarity of his surroundings and his possessions. Take that away from him and his coping mechanisms disappear he quickly reverts to aggression and intimidation to achieve domination/control of the people and situation around him. He too is totally conditioned and sees non-aggression and conformity to prison life as a sign of weakness.Nico: He is a very quiet, non-conditioned inmate (a noobe). He is so new and so young, that he has yet the maturity to deal with the situation he finds himself in, nor has he had the time to develop coping mechanisms. Once he is literally thrown into the mix and he is faced with three very strong characters, he clearly cannot manage and easily succumbs.With the four characters in place, one night in Darrell's cell whilst in "lock-down", you can quickly imagine how the situation develops, particularly without the controlling presence of the prison officers. It is a violent film, but it carries a social commentary that confronts your attitudes toward punishment. Please watch this film, be confronted and from that, form your own opinions and not adopt those of people who just "Shout the Loudest"! I hope you enjoy this film.
