The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest (2014) Reviews

• Prison shouldn't always be the only solution

  macktan8942015-09-02

  Mark DeFriest began his tenure as a prisoner because he took tools his father said he could have before probate had dealt with his father's will. That he was arrested for this, due to a complaint by his stepmother, is just tragic. It reveals a criminal justice system that is unable to deal compassionately with the minor mistakes and misunderstandings of ordinary people, most who are unfamiliar and inexperienced with laws and legal processes. Not every mistake needs to addressed with prison time. In this case, a judge might have asked DeFriest to return the tools or pay for them...whatever. But sentencing a young guy to prison, convicting him of a felony, over taking his dead dad's tools speaks volumes about what's wrong with the criminal justice system in the U.S. My other observation deals with DeFriest's mental status. While he's no lunatic, he's clearly different and prison has just damaged his psyche even more. A smart guy, childlike really, he got bored in prison and did things to alleviate that boredom--like invent contraptions to break out. Clearly he lacked the upbringing and the nature to behave normally and was never destined to lead a typical life. Solitary confinement for 25 years is hardly an appropriate remedy for his personality aberrations...or for anyone, really. There was, however, an opportunity to divert his intellect toward productive output, which would be rehabilitation, but our criminal justice system has turned into a torture chamber and away from helping people rehabilitate o adapt for productive living. This doc is cleverly done. The animated parts underscore the childlike behavior of DeFriest, a kid in an adult body. It's also shocking and demonstrates why people flee the police who feel that prison and execution are solutions for almost everything.

• Surprising Contender for Top 10 for 2014. Strong Documentary.

  witster182015-03-27

  I woke up today thinking about this, and likely will follow this story to what I hope is a happy ending. This indictment of the Florida Penal System tells the story of Mark Defriest. Mark received a 4 year sentence essentially for stealing tools that he believed were entrusted to him by his father. A sentence that seems a bit harsh in retrospect, but that's only the beginning of the story. It's almost comical that we use the word "rehabilitation" when talking about the prison system - when this film shows-us, shockingly, the debilitating nature of the system. The system failed Mark Defriest - taking a brilliant mind, a free-spirit, and nearly breaking both. The film is bolstered by some comical moments, which speak to Mark's steadfast and still-amazingly-present sanity. The interviews, for me, are really the highlight of the film, but the film's music and animation raise this piece to another level. To me the 'angle' of proving Mark's insanity is only a sad state of "Telling them what they want to hear and not addressing the real problem which is the system itself", but I guess if that is what is best for Mark then so be it. Mark is crazy, but not (dice clay draw) "crazy". During the opening credits Mark sums it up, "I mean if I was just a rapist or murderer or somethin' they'd let me out, I mean I made them look like idiots". And they were next to him, ONe of the most damning aspects of the movie are the interviews with a former Warden. You can feel the remorse and responsibility he felt with every word he uttered, and the stories only justify and offset the long history of disciplinary reports that the parole board kept throwing back in Mark's face. I'd like to see how some of those weasels would fair in the prison system. This is a very good film. Not quite as good as "Stop at Nothing:The Lance Armstrong Story", but it's close. Both are better than "Life Itself" and both will likely be the only two documentary films that hold onto a top 25 spot for 2014 - unless another film like this jumps out and surprises me. Seek this out immediately. I caught it on Showtime last night. Completely enthralling and seriously well-made exposition on one man's wasted potential, and the system that wasted it. This could climb in terms of my score and rankings after I chew on it for a bit. 84/100 HIGHLY recommended. "Thought Cafe's" animation really adds another dimension.

• Unjust America

  peachweb2015-12-30

  I'd like to start off by saying "Bravo" to macktan894. That is the review that inspired me to watch this documentary. What a great review. I must say, he/she was dead on. Within the first two minutes, I felt like a piece of crap for not knowing this poor soul's story and not helping. I am a Floridian. I don't know how I missed it! In my opinion, there is no way, ever, on God's green earth, that this poor individual should have been imprisoned to begin with. The fact that he contrived multiple escapes is completely understandable... and, in my opinion, quite forgivable. Who, in his position, would not? It's extremely sad to me that we were (and are) beyond sending fellows like this to the military... because I am pretty sure he would have returned as a hero. He is obviously the real MacGyver. I was also disgusted to hear about what happened to him while in prison. But what I am really disgusted about is the FACT that prisons seem to contribute to that behavior. We put people in prison to punish them. WHY WOULD WE ALLOW THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO HURT ANOTHER INMATE? Our system clearly should be re-evaluated. PRONTO!!!!!!!!!!

• A very entertaining story that leaves Alcatraz in the dust.

  keyosuke-756-8784592016-02-29

  We've all seen movies about the Alcatraz escape, and we've all wondered, maybe hoped, that one of them got away. As far back as there were news stories about famous bank robbers or train robbers, there were legendary outlaws and the public rooting them on. This story is the best of them all, because the escape artist is impressively clever while being funny and human. If this was a series of prison interviews I think a lot of people would fall asleep, but it's a mix of comic retelling of prison breaks, a heart breaking story of a guy getting tossed in jail for nonsense and then ending up with endless sentence extensions because he refused to stop breaking out. Take the journey with Mark, his lawyer, and one of the people he passed along the way. It's a deep cutting commentary on the U.S. prison system, but it's a good story, at the same time. If there is anything bad you can say about this film, it's that the comic animations do get silly at times, but that is because the story is silly at times, and reality deserves a chance to entertain. There's no reason a prison documentary can't be part "Ted", if we're expected to believe it's true.