'The Quilters' review: Hope reigns supreme in Netflix documentary
What's the story
The critically acclaimed documentary The Quilters, which was shortlisted at the 97th Academy Awards in the Best Documentary Short category, arrived on Netflix on Friday.
Directed by Jenifer McShane, it takes us inside the South Central Correctional Center in Missouri, where a group of men dedicatedly sew quilts for foster kids.
The unconventional short poignantly underlines how art is cathartic, therapeutic, and even life-changing.
#1
What can art help with? Turns out, everything!
The healing powers of art are the central focus of The Quilters.
When we meet the inmates, we realize how this Restorative Justice Program has filled their lives with a renewed sense of purpose.
Men of all ages work together, and sewing for children has become a collective ambition, a second chance at life, and a way of giving back to society.
#2
More than a job: This is a cherished purpose
The Quilters's brightest moments come when the prisoners explain the sheer joy this work brings them.
One of them, Chill, likes to work with butterfly-printed patterns because his mother loved butterflies.
"Every time I do them, I think of her," he beams with happiness.
The sewing room ceases to be just a room teeming with scraps—instead, it becomes a portal to happiness and freedom.
#3
The kids' happiness brings joy to these men, too
One of the inmates describes the job as, "Cut, sew, iron, cut, sew, iron, and keep going in circles."
The men work in smooth tandem, and one's finished quilt becomes the pride of the entire unit.
When inmates talk about how these quilts will usher in normalcy and hope for the foster kids, you can't help but think these men are chasing it, too.
#4
Areas where it could have been better
However, it also feels like The Quilters doesn't reach its full potential, and feels somewhat scattered and incomplete.
For instance, even though we are slightly informed about the inmates' lives, families, and psyches, for the most part, they remain at a distance from us.
We keep waiting for McShane to tell us about them in greater detail, but alas, that moment never comes.
#5
More on the above aspect
The emotional beats don't always land, and The Quilters feels a bit rushed.
The fast pace (it's 33 minutes long) means we don't spend enough time with all the inmates.
So, even though we get an intimate look at the men, their stories don't always move us.
The Quilters never becomes the kind of tearjerker that narratives like this usually do.
Verdict
Want to watch something offbeat? Watch 'The Quilters'
The prison is described as a "jungle", and the environment inside is "chaotic," but when these men sit with their machines, they have only one task in mind—to sew hope and happiness.
A beautiful moment in the documentary occurs toward the end, when some children send their photos with the quilts.
The inmates break into a warm smile, and so do you.
3/5 stars.