The Work

Jairus McLeary and Gethin Aldous's 2017 documentary takes place inside Folsom Prison. Men from outside join a four-day group therapy programme held there several times a year, sitting in the same room as the inmates and doing the same work. The film records those four days and stays almost entirely inside the room; what happens outside, what the men did and what their sentences are go unmentioned. The method is harsh, with shouting, weeping and physical restraint, and the sessions at times look dangerous. What it is really about is men who never learned to express anger trying to do so for the first time. The participants from outside facing their own difficulties balances the account. Who it's for: viewers who can take documentaries about mental health and prison. Who it's not for: anyone who would rather not approach intense emotional scenes; the film shows them throughout.