PRISONTERMINAL
THE LAST DAYS OF PRIVATE JACK HALL
- ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT -
HBO TRAILER EDITED BY: NOAH WAGNER
PRISON TERMINAL: THE LAST DAYS OF PRIVATE JACK HALL is a poignant cinéma vérité documentary that transcends the confines of one of the United States' oldest maximum-security prisons. It chronicles the closing chapters in the life of a terminally ill inmate and the selfless hospice volunteers, who are also prisoners, tending to his needs. The documentary is crafted from footage recorded during a six-month period within the formidable walls of the Iowa State Penitentiary. It offers a compelling and often emotionally charged narrative of how the hospice experience can profoundly impact the forsaken lives of those incarcerated.
THE ONE TRULY GREAT FILM IN THIS CATEGORY.
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
TERRIBLY CAPTIVATING. GALVANIZING. GRIPPING. SHOULD WIN THE ACADEMY AWARD.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
I CAN'T IMAGINE A MORE POWERFUL PIECE OF FILM-MAKING. A DEEPLY AFFECTING LITTLE MASTERPIECE.
John Seals, Berkeleyside
IMPRESSIVE. UNFLINCHING. THOROUGH. PLAINSPOKEN AND HUMANE.
Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader
THE BEST. AN ACHIEVEMENT.
Daniel Walber, Nonfics
A PROFOUNDLY TENDER EXPERIENCE.
Ty Burr, The Boston Globe
MOVING AND INTIMATE, AN EXTRAORDINARY FILM.
Susan James, ABC News
ASTONISHING.
Isaac Weeks, INDY Week
GUARANTEED TO HAVE YOU IN TEARS... AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER.
Jeff Nelson, DVD Talk
POWEWRFUL, GUT-WRENCHING STUFF. DARE YOU NOT TO SHED A TEAR.
George Butler, Butler's Cinema Scene
WILL WIN, THE MOST EFFECTIVE COMBINATION OF WEIGHTY SUBJECT MATTER AND MOVING PERSONAL HISTORY.
Ethan Alter, Television Without Pity
THE MOST FULLY REALIZED PIECE OF WORK.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
MOVING. CAPTIVATING.
Bernard Boo, WayTooIndie