Store gutter gråter ikke (1995) User Reviews

Prison rehabilitation

[tordster · 8/10 · 3 December 2008]

In this movie we get to meet different drug abusers in prison. Each of them have committed crimes of more or less seriousness. The main characters in the documentary is those who get chosen to participate for the "stifinner" (pathfinder)-project. First and foremost this project seeks to rehabilitate the prisoners, they want to give the prisoners more individual freedom in block C3 and thereby responsibility and confident in themselves. The volunteers of the project (ex. cons and addicts), meets the cons to talk about their experience both in and out of prison, and how they can improve themselves to gain a respectable position in a normal society. The project meets benevolence from the prison - guards and leaders in the beginning, but as the participants slips when on compassionate leave. The attitude gradually starts to change amongst both the guards and the leaders of Oslo "krestfengsel" (county jail) about the increased freedom these prisoners are trusted. And a discussion begins between the prisoners, the guards/leaders and the project volunteers. The prisoners feels a hint of distrust for the once who cracked on leave, but still see that those in trouble have bettered themselves during the project, compared with before. So do the project leaders, and some of the guards. A discourse take place between all of these about the good and bad consequences of the increased freedom, and in a large degree it is up to us to conclude, although the conclusion of the filmmaker seem to favor this pathfinder-program, it still represents a big enough picture to let us conclude for ourselves. All of the involved talked about pros and cons, even the prisoners themselves admit that a "military-like" discipline makes it easier for them to stay clean, but of course they want to have both their freedom and to stay clean. This statement is explicit in the film trough the obituary of a dead prison friend, of what we can consider the main protagonist. "We both talked about living straight lives after imprisonment... I will honor that and live a free straight live for the both of us"