| The Alabama Solution | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Andrew Jarecki Charlotte Kaufman |
| Written by | Andrew Jarecki Charlotte Kaufman Page Marsella |
| Produced by | Andrew Jarecki Charlotte Kaufman |
| Starring | Robert Earl Council Melvin Ray |
| Cinematography | Nicholas Kraus |
| Edited by | Page Marsella |
| Music by | Mark Batson Chris Hanebutt |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | HBO |
Release date |
|
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Alabama Solution is a 2025 American documentary film about the prison system in Alabama but from the perspective of incarcerated inmates. The documentary was directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2025. [1]
Fred Topel of United Press International gave the film a positive review and wrote, “If incarcerated inmates can make progress in activism from inside prison walls, it suggests even greater things are possible when people with more resources join forces. The documentary illuminating the issue is a major step.” [2]
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com also gave the film a positive review and wrote that it “ will likely play to people who already know about the corruption, brutality, and slave labor that feed our prison system, but it’s still important to see the horrors that unfold in this country that so many consider free.” [3]
Owen Gleiberman of Variety also gave the film a positive review, calling it “one of the most powerful exposés of the inhumanity of the American prison system I’ve ever seen. Directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman, the movie is a scalding portrait of life on the inside that exerts a grip worthy of a thriller.“ [4]
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a positive review and wrote that it “is difficult to watch, and impossible to watch without escalating anger. There isn’t easy catharsis or an easy non-Alabama solution, but it’s impossible to deny that something better must be done.” [5]
On Tuesday at the first showing of the film, she had Council on the phone listening in.