The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest

The documentary tells the story of Mark DeFriest. DeFriest was nineteen years old in 1980. He took his late father’s tools from the house. He was given a prison sentence for it. The sentence was four years. But he stayed inside. He tried to escape again and again. Each attempt lengthened his time. His disciplinary file grew and grew. His parole date was pushed far into the future. A psychiatrist had said he was faking mental illness. That opinion sent him to a hard prison. He spent years in solitary confinement. Thirty years later the same doctor changed his view. The documentary follows that file as it comes before the parole board. Drawn animation runs alongside the account. Gabriel London directed the ninety two minute documentary. It is an American and Canadian production finished in 2014.