“…30 years….30 years…”
These are some of the few words spoken in this short film. The man who says them shakes his head and then quietly weeps.
We are with him and many other newly released prisoners—all ages and complexions, some with tattoos, some with walkers, some with grey gristle five o’clock shadow— waiting for a bus at the Greyhound Station. A very few lucky ones were met by women and hugs. The others borrow cellphones to call home. Most shuffle through their few belongings held in net bags that are typically used for transporting onions or similar produce.
A man dreams of going fishing again. Another just wants to lay down. The pall of time lost weighs down nearly every stride.
Flying Film Festival Short Lays US Prison System Bare
Expect to bring your sensibilities about the US prison system as your lens to view Huntsville Station. Don’t expect joy in sharing in newfound freedom. That’s someone else’s notion and not this film. In this writer’s view, laconic Huntsville Station is akin to one of the best poems, going to the heart in ways that prose cannot.
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For more information, visit the Flying Film Festival website.
Images courtesy of Flying Film Festival.
