Watch At Night I Fly

At Night I Fly is a poignant and thought-provoking documentary that centers around the lives of a group of prisoners in California's notorious San Quentin State Prison. The film follows the day-to-day routines of these inmates and explores how they find meaning and redemption through art and poetry. The film's focus is on a group of maximum-security prisoners who are housed in a separate unit within the prison known as the Sensitive Needs Yard (SNY). These inmates are deemed too dangerous or vulnerable to be with the general population, and as a result, they are largely isolated from the rest of the prison community.

Despite their circumstances, the prisoners in the SNY have managed to form a creative community centered around poetry and spoken word performance. Led by Spoon Jackson, a long-term inmate who has become something of a mentor to his fellow prisoners, the group meet regularly to share their work and provide feedback to one another.

The film delves deeply into the backgrounds and personal histories of some of these men, who come from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We learn about the events that led to their incarceration and the challenges they face on a daily basis as they attempt to navigate the harsh realities of prison life.

Through interviews with the prisoners and footage of their poetry performances, we gain a sense of the profound impact that creative expression can have on their lives. For many of them, poetry has become a way to make sense of their experiences and to find a sense of humanity and connection with others.

At Night I Fly also touches on some of the broader social issues raised by the American prison system. The film highlights the racial disparities that exist within the system, with many of the inmates coming from disadvantaged communities and facing harsher sentences due to mandatory minimums and other sentencing policies.

Overall, At Night I Fly is a moving and powerful documentary that sheds light on a group of people who are often marginalized and forgotten by society. By showing the human side of these prisoners and highlighting the role that art can play in their lives, the film challenges us to rethink our assumptions about crime and punishment and to see these individuals in a more empathetic and nuanced light.

At Night I Fly is a 2011 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 28 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.8.