15 Best Documentaries Of 2020

3. Time

Tiger King
Amazon Studios

This is a story of love and rage, compiled from home video and beautiful black and white footage shot by Garrett Bradley. It’s the story of a couple and their enduring connection through the hardest of times.

Sibil Fox Richardson is a mother, entrepreneur, and prison reform activist. Many years ago, during tough times, she and her husband robbed a bank. Sibil was sentenced to three and a half years - her husband to 60 (per Fox his crime, armed robbery, can carry a term of anything from five to 99).

Time captures Fox’s long wait for her husband’s release, much of which is carried out through a wall of silence on the part of the Louisiana justice system. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to Robert Richardson’s extreme sentence, other than the same old stories as far as American prison statistics of class and race go.

Fox is a remarkable presence, staying strong for the vast majority of the film until finally cracking under the immense pressure and intransigence from the penal system. It’s ultimately a triumphant story for this family, though there are many more like them across the land.

Contributor
Contributor

Yorkshire-based writer of screenplays, essays, and fiction. Big fan of having a laugh. Read more of my stuff @ www.twotownsover.com (if you want!)