Solitary: In Red Onion State Prison is an award winning documentary film about solitary confinement inside the U.S. prison system, a supermax prison located in the U.S. states of Texas and Virginia. It tells the story of what prisoners like David Bright, Gerald Cotton, and Willard Hanks must go through in their bid to become mentally healthy and to change the destructive pattern of their criminal acts. The film shows what true confinement is like and how it affects people on multiple levels including physical, mental, and spiritual.
The documentary was made by award winning director Tony Robbins: This is Robbins’ second documentary that he has directed. His first was the series of “The Biggest Loser” weight-loss show. His other two documentaries include “The Hidden Truth” and “The Secret”. Now, he has created a series of ten films on solitary confinement and the prison system in general. These ten films all received great reviews from critics and audiences everywhere.
Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison centers the minds and bodies of a violent criminal who became a hardened criminal to extreme solitary confinement. The name of the main character is David Bright, who served a significant amount of time in solitary confinement due to his gang affiliation. It was also found out that his fellow prisoners were manipulating and intimidating him into staying in solitary confinement for over a decade. He was given the chance to change not only his destiny but the future of other prisoners when he began to develop a relationship with another man. This man was identified as Willard Hanks, who has been an important source of support for Bright.
The film begins by showing the everyday routine of the supermax facility: Bright is placed in a supermax unit where he will serve his time alone inside the small cells. He is told that the only way for him to get out of the cell is if he can break one of the rules that are engraved into the wall of the cells. Those rules include not talking to the other inmates or to anyone else, not eating or writing for three hours, and not smoking inside the small cells. The inmates are made to work like robots in order for the staff to be able to enjoy their meals and read their paperbacks inside their cells.
The theme of solitary confinement pervades the entire film: A character states that he wants to go to the bathroom but is scared of the guards dogs that may attack him. Another character states that he does not want to starve to death in prison. Another says that he wants to see the sun rise tomorrow because it gives him inspiration. Several other inmates who do not want to break any of the prison rules talk about the beauty of nature and how they would like to see the sunlight flood the earth.
Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison depicts: the prison life of these inmates and the brutality of the prison environment. The inmates are subjected to harsh punishment while they are housed in small, tiny rooms with no natural light, food, or water. Many of the inmates die of malnutrition because the food available is usually very limited and is only given to the strongest inmates.
Some of the inmates take drugs which lead to a chain of diseases and cause them to deteriorate rapidly in their prison life.
