390. Time; movie review

 

 

TIME 

Cert TBA

81 mins

BBFC advice: TBA

Wherever you stand on America's criminal sentencing, you have to admire the energy of campaigner Sibil Fox Richardson.

Her indomitable spirit and refusal to accept defeat were maintained for 20 years as she fought for her husband Rob's release from custody.

Both had been jailed for robbery but he refused a plea bargain and so faced 60 years behind bars.

Some might have little sympathy for them even though the mother-of-six says the crime was a one-off committed when they were desperate.

Nevertheless, such a long stretch seems out of context with a crime in which nobody died or was maimed.

The two were soulmates from their teens and were bringing up a young family when they were incarcerated.

Indeed, Sibil was pregnant with twins who are now 18 and have never known life without their father behind bars.

It is to their parents' great credit that they and their siblings have turned out to be upstanding members of society.

Garrett Bradley's film cuts together 18 years of home movie footage which Sibil has recorded since she began her campaign for her husband's release.

It follows her children from infancy to adulthood and also shows how she has gone from penniless former inmate to well-respected entrepreneur.

Filmed in black and white, it reflects her frustrations of consistent failure but also her dedication in not being deflected from her final goal.

Sibil doesn't soft-soap her story. She knows that wrong was done but does question the balance of the American judicial system.

She is inspirational and gives us what we all need. Hope.

Reasons to watch: Shattering real-life story

Reasons to avoid: It jumps around

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? The longest prison sentence handed down by a court is thought to be that received by Chamoy Thipyaso of Thailand, who in 1989 was given a jail term of 141,078 years.  The wife of a senior Thai air force officer, Thipyaso had been involved in a pyramid scheme that defrauded 16,231 people out of a total of about £2 million.

The final word. Garret Bradley: "I think, at a bare-bones minimum, hope can be offered to people who are entangled in the system. And to those who are less aware of it or don’t feel that it’s an issue that affects them." Kiwi The Beauty

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