November 25, 2022
MOVIE: ART & KRIMES BY KRIMES
DIRECTED BY ALYSA NAHMIAS
RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
There are documentaries that are often so rooted in their present day that it becomes hard to see how they will age or remain relevant in the years to come. Alysa Nahmias’s film Art & Krimes by Krimes is timeless and that’s good and a bit bad. On the plus side, the film explores the life during and after prison of artists, some of whom develop their skills and talent while incarcerated. Sadly, though, there will always be prisons filled with inmates who have abilities that are underutilized both during their time in prison as well as after the fact.
Nahmias focuses here on Jesse Krimes, a Pennsylvania man who was sentenced to federal prison in the late 2000s for possession of cocaine with intent. He found himself in a world with gang members, mafia, and others with ties to criminal organizations. During his three years, Krimes spent hours in his cell creating art out of soap and bedsheets. Since he had been raised in a family that had a machine parts shop, Krimes was already familiar with how to tap into his creative side and turn nothing into something to express his interests and feelings about social issues. We see how resourceful he is at obtaining his materials. He recreates works of art with the faces of recent famous people as well as others who have been incarcerated. Soon he becomes known within the prison system for the work, especially his portraits of other inmates. Along the way, he discovers other artists also in prison who share his need for creative expression while behind bars.
Nahmias provides these background details with some very beautiful, gritty, charcoaled, penciled forms of art media to reflect Krimes’s inner emotional states at the time. These visuals are very lively and constantly moving making for some really interesting art itself.
What makes the film particularly stand out though are the interviews with Krimes, as well as other former inmates, as they discuss what prison life was like but more especially what life has been like since release. They discuss the hardships and fears they faced as they tried to make lives for themselves as artists. Krimes comes across as a very reserved, soft-spoken, practical, and intelligent man who is ambitious and very much aware of the social climate in which he is operating.
Footage of Krimes and his post-prison life was filmed over five years which is a true gift to experience. We see the early successes such as a mural arts program and eventually a major exhibition of his own art work. Nahmias also takes some side trips by including footage of Krimes with the son he only learned about while first in prison. But the real focus is on Krimes and how he turned his misfortune into something quite inspiring. Not only were Krimes and others able to use their prison time to hone their crafts but they also emphasize how art saved them both in and outside of jail. Art has allowed many of them to get out of the streets and dedicate themselves to their talents and passions. As such, they are encouraging others to tap into their creative potentials while also putting money where their mouths are by setting up a foundation to make this dream a reality.
The music used in the film is quiet and never overbearing which completely lines itself up with the personality of Krimes. It is also soft and meditative allowing viewers to envelope themselves around the creative process of all of the artists featured in the film.
Art & Krimes by Krimes is its own work of art that is very socially aware while also being aesthetically and emotionally stimulating and affecting.
Art & Krimes by Krimes opens today at the Gene Siskel Center. It will later be available for streaming on Paramount+.
MOVIE: ART & KRIMES BY KRIMES
DIRECTED BY ALYSA NAHMIAS
RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
There are documentaries that are often so rooted in their present day that it becomes hard to see how they will age or remain relevant in the years to come. Alysa Nahmias’s film Art & Krimes by Krimes is timeless and that’s good and a bit bad. On the plus side, the film explores the life during and after prison of artists, some of whom develop their skills and talent while incarcerated. Sadly, though, there will always be prisons filled with inmates who have abilities that are underutilized both during their time in prison as well as after the fact.
Nahmias focuses here on Jesse Krimes, a Pennsylvania man who was sentenced to federal prison in the late 2000s for possession of cocaine with intent. He found himself in a world with gang members, mafia, and others with ties to criminal organizations. During his three years, Krimes spent hours in his cell creating art out of soap and bedsheets. Since he had been raised in a family that had a machine parts shop, Krimes was already familiar with how to tap into his creative side and turn nothing into something to express his interests and feelings about social issues. We see how resourceful he is at obtaining his materials. He recreates works of art with the faces of recent famous people as well as others who have been incarcerated. Soon he becomes known within the prison system for the work, especially his portraits of other inmates. Along the way, he discovers other artists also in prison who share his need for creative expression while behind bars.
Nahmias provides these background details with some very beautiful, gritty, charcoaled, penciled forms of art media to reflect Krimes’s inner emotional states at the time. These visuals are very lively and constantly moving making for some really interesting art itself.
What makes the film particularly stand out though are the interviews with Krimes, as well as other former inmates, as they discuss what prison life was like but more especially what life has been like since release. They discuss the hardships and fears they faced as they tried to make lives for themselves as artists. Krimes comes across as a very reserved, soft-spoken, practical, and intelligent man who is ambitious and very much aware of the social climate in which he is operating.
Footage of Krimes and his post-prison life was filmed over five years which is a true gift to experience. We see the early successes such as a mural arts program and eventually a major exhibition of his own art work. Nahmias also takes some side trips by including footage of Krimes with the son he only learned about while first in prison. But the real focus is on Krimes and how he turned his misfortune into something quite inspiring. Not only were Krimes and others able to use their prison time to hone their crafts but they also emphasize how art saved them both in and outside of jail. Art has allowed many of them to get out of the streets and dedicate themselves to their talents and passions. As such, they are encouraging others to tap into their creative potentials while also putting money where their mouths are by setting up a foundation to make this dream a reality.
The music used in the film is quiet and never overbearing which completely lines itself up with the personality of Krimes. It is also soft and meditative allowing viewers to envelope themselves around the creative process of all of the artists featured in the film.
Art & Krimes by Krimes is its own work of art that is very socially aware while also being aesthetically and emotionally stimulating and affecting.
Art & Krimes by Krimes opens today at the Gene Siskel Center. It will later be available for streaming on Paramount+.