John Leguizamo Live at Rikers

"Some filmmakers mediate such discussions by playing savior, but Leguizamo and Engel don’t allow stardom to sever their grip on reality. They showcase the inmates’ emotional intelligence, granting them a grace not often afforded to the Black and Brown men raised in correction facilities."

“Director, Elena Engel, captures a brotherhood. These young men support one another like they've known each other their whole lives, and Engel captures some powerful moments of vulnerability.”

“Live at Rikers is an honest film, yet in that honesty it finds inspiration and belief in the greater good of these men. Leguizamo serves as a powerful example that you can turn things around and you can work to create the world you want to live in.”

“Director Engel has the nuanced touch that places John Leguizamo in an authentic and honest spotlight in John Leguizamo Live At Rikers. Through humor, humility and humbleness the stories of the inmates who sit down with him paint a more hopeful picture.”

“Live” is inspirational and intriguing and stands as a reminder that the neighborhoods that shaped us can be in turn reshaped by us.”

“May films like these fuel more appropriate curiosity and help us to be more dissatisfied with solutions that silence these voices.”