Formerly Ourselves, Formerly Incarcerated
Film by Justin Reichman with Live Score by Robert Pycior
Black men in monologues spill their guts, and share some of their most vulnerable moments growing up, locked up, and freed. Their words and expressions share with the viewer in intimate detail, one on one, close, unflinching, the power and cycle of imprisonment. Living on the street, serving time in solitary confinement, naked and chained for days on end, it's a fleshy miracle that they were able to break the cycle and free themselves. At times angry, but mostly told with poise and calm, the stories reflect how those locked away in far flung hidden prisons are treated, how juvenile detention is a good meeting place for your next crime, how easy it is to get shot minding your own business.
Justin Reichman is a filmmaker and artist living in Durham, Connecticut. Past films include the narrative feature A Wife Alone, which had its premiere at the 2013 Brooklyn Film Festival, and a number of short films and portraiture projects including The Stone Mason Portraits, The Making of a Portrait, The Florist, Gyro, Chili for Breakfast, and 13 Buckingham. He co-authored Hoping Zwirner Dies, which was a finalist for the Sundance Screenwriting Lab, The Last Dude, and Lookout for Hope. He worked as a script supervisor for many years, including television credits with HBO's True Blood, and Bored to Death. He recently graduated from law school at Quinnipiac University where he was a Margolis fellow with the ACLU of Connecticut and an extern at the New Haven Public Defenders Office.
Violinist and composer Robert Pycior (O'Death) brings his dynamic instrumentation and stage presence, condensing it into a solo violin performance. This looping, tape manipulation journey has been described as a "beautiful and face-melting adventure through time and space" and "a work of analog and digital wizardry". Pycior's work as a film composer shines through as the melodies and textures take on a cinematic tone. Some listeners close their eyes, others watch intently -- all walk away transported elsewhere.
