Fighting Against the Grain | SF DocFest 2026
The prison industrial complex and the people working to abolish it.
Dear Moviegoers,
Ava DuVernay's documentary The 13th, which ties the end of slavery to the current state of the incarceration system in America (slavery in a different package), is what I immediately think of when the subject of prison abolition comes up, specifically in terms of cinema. It's a defining film for the movement, and hopefully started (and maybe still generates) many conversations and actions. There had been other films like it, of course, but Ava's name means a lot, and so does her technique for drawing empathy and love into a portrait that wasn't so beautiful before.
A gold standard it is.
The barely feature-length film The End of Isolation shouldn't have to be held to that standard, nor does it need to be anything but an example of activism that's still on the march, but, unfortunately, its quality welcomes the criticisms. Nitpicks? Technical issues? Yes, and they all add up to a movie that's a bit uncoordinated.
Its title refers to solitary confinement and the efforts to end the practice, as taken upon by former inmates and political prisoners who have experienced such torture, not to average citizens who just want respect for their neighbors. The movie opens with a performance troupe that's touring the country with a play about the practice, showing an impressive stage layout and poignant performances to match. From here, however, things grow out of focus.
Less and less do we see of the play, and more and more we learn about a few specific prisons and their impacts on the lives of those inside and outside. Scenes and sequences don't quite move together, giving off a detachment from the material and making for something that feels like homework and not engaging.
A sad state.
The filmmakers of The End of Isolation are activists themselves and are likely more focused on the mission outside of the movie. As much as this is a glorified infomercial, the goals of these collectives of individuals are worth everything. For that, I can completely understand just putting out something, anything, to moviegoers of all backgrounds. The people documented, armed with their own words, are kind, knowledgeable, and righteous. They shouldn't be dismissed, and their articulation of history and experience should be embraced.
For that alone, The End of Isolation goes far. But what of the play? Not much is made of that, but we do see a prison get demolished. I don't remember that happening in The 13th. 2/5
The End of Isolation is playing at the 25th SF Documentary Festival. Click on the banner below for more information.
