Swearing off the scale, but this is a prison set play with hurting characters. Interestingly more f's than you can count, but little blasphemous language. Swearing aside, this is a tour de force in language control as one agitated character spits out his words in a flow of stress and containment; another character won't speak at all - the play uses silence in really clever ways.
I was meant to see this at the Trafalgar Studios but Pandemic did for that. Instead this filmed version utilises it's CCTV shots, its camera angles and you never feel that you're watching a film - but a play. It's tight and intense and the teacher is having a really good/bad lesson depending on how you view it. It has much to say about education and how those who've committed crimes view themselves and what they're capable of; how protective they can be of their families; male friendship and justice - especially when the rules of the classroom states that no-one can express their emotions about the incident that's happened with a friend; about what we value - we value professional qualifications over parenting skill classes and life skills such as voting and budgeting; how sensitive these guys are under it all - the not being able to read, the desire to improve, the desire to be a good father, the tears and anger for a friend.
There are a lot of things left hanging - the mute new prisoner becomes a bridge to the other characters, getting them to think differently and in winning at games; the manic one is really good at applying nappies; the long termer desires to be a good father and won't expose his children to the searches of the prison. The silent one has a really odd relationship with his girlfriend (who may be underage) which is never explained - also he often talks about himself as though he's a child still - in confronting his abusive step father and protecting his dog, and we the audience are left uneasy, to make up our own minds about who these characters are. There is also the protection of one character for another, how they keep each other in line and spur each other on, and stories shared of failed fatherhood, ambition for their children to be better and it had me in tears several times, because it is sad at times - their ambition and hopes.
We are left to decide what we think - there is, in the end, a respect for their teacher and an underlying reminder to think about the words we use of others and to compare others with ourselves. The energy and pace of the text is really something as it never feels unreal. No baby dolls harmed in the making of this play! It's also the subtle things - the quiet one's watchful gaze, hand wringing when anxsious or stressed, the physical removing himself to corners and facial ticks of a hurting individual - we don't know if his relationship is appropraite or inappropriate - the play invites us to engage with the prisoners as people and reserve our judgements, but also leaves us troubled and moved. Tour de force of acting.
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