700,000 prisoners are released each year in the U.S. What happens to them when they come home?
“Pull of Gravity” follows three men in different stages of reentry from prison to society. Filmed over the course of a year in North Philadelphia, filmmakers El Sawyer and Jon Kaufman spotlighted these different perspectives in a riveting view of life after prison.
I attended the screening at the National Constitution Center on Tuesday night (January 29) and the documentary was very eye opening. There was one scene with a young man by the name of T.T. and he spoke about his neighborhood being in a state of depression. He said, “all we get is criticism, but what we need is constructive criticism.” That scene was very riveting and you could feel a shift in the audience after he was done speaking.
Film makers El Sawyer and Jon Kaufman spoke with the Philadelphia Inquirer about the documentary, so make sure to check that out. Also, view the full trailer below and visit the official site for more info on future screenings.
WOW!
that’s an ongoing loaded topic right there!
xo
Native NYker
http://rantsthoughtsmerde.com/2013/01/30/angela-bassett-black-nativity-set-exclusive/
I wish I could see this documentary.
There needs to be a societal mindset change about those who are and have been “behind the wall”. Some of our most phenomenal creative geniuses and brilliant Thought Leaders are and have been “behind the wall”. The 700,000 individuals who are released from American prisons NEED and MUST HAVE healing and “humanization” through a mandatory (6 months to 1 year) and intensive debriefing program. At the same time, we must equip those that love and care for these 700,000 individuals with the psychological and emotional tools they will need to help them learn to trust again, to love again, to believe in themselves again, and to make a future for themselves. We are paying a horrible price for not doing this. Let’s reconnect the “disconnected”!
this is an excellent documentary that i got the chance to see at a screening a UPenn in philly; it definitely carries a heavy message that more people need to hear
I missed the screening, definitely would of been there.
I think this is a very serious and necessary conversation not only for the individual that’s coming home but the family and surroundings they are coming home to.
The big question is how do you/we move forward, there’s no time to catch up or backtrack, where do we go from here. I’m speaking from the flipside, the little sister who’s big brother went to jail for 14 years to being the baby mom who is still holding things down after 3 years of my child’s father being home from jail.
I applaud the realness and the ownership of wanting to find the root of the issue.
Can’t wait to see what’s next.
We here at the PPS would like to express our thanks for the increase in our sense of the need/desirer to suppports individuals tranitioning back to our commuities and families from period of incarceration. The question become who is willing to stand up and commit to being a positive force moving toward change? Lets examine our minds and souls to commit to change.