Alone (2017)

Alone (2017)

Garrett Bradley’s short film “Alone” still feels as relevant as ever. The film was awarded the Short Form Jury Award in nonfiction after being one of 68 shorts accepted into the festival earlier this year. By telling the story of Aloné Watts, whose boyfriend Desmond has been incarcerated in a private prison for a year, Bradley examines the question of what it would mean to marry someone behind bars.

As well as delving into the injustices of the prison system and examining a type of modern relationship that is rarely, if ever, represented on film, “Alone” accomplishes a lot in its 13-minute running time by taking a deeply personal dive into Watts’ life as a black single mother. With closely framed shots and intimate voiceover, Bradley makes it nearly impossible not to feel what Watts feels in scenes such as the one where she is berated by her family for wanting to marry Desmond while he is still in prison.

Watts even struggles with the decision herself throughout the film, seeming to want to marry Desmond, but also debating what that will mean for her life. This short documentary is produced in collaboration with the Sundance Institute Short Documentary Fund supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Director: Garrett Bradley
Producers: Dolly Turner, Lauren Domino