By Thomas A. Lincoln, MD
Posted on June 21, 2010 –
Film ReviewReleased in 2008, The Dhamma Brothers follows a group of men participating in an intensive 10 day silent Vipassana meditation course at the crowded maximum-security William E. Donaldson Prison, outside of Birmingham, and its aftermath. Shown primarily through the words and expressions of several of the men, the prison staff and others involved, the documentary shows profound changes in the participants.
Vipassana, as explained by teacher Bruce Stewart, means seeing things as they are. As described by Dr. Ron Cavanaugh, now the Director of Treatment for the Alabama Department of Corrections and an initiator of the program at Donaldson, the practice develops a non-judgmental awareness of mental processes and enhances the ability to choose how to react to emotions, picking up where cognitive behavioral methods end. The course involves 10 to 11 hours a day of meditation, maintaining noble silence throughout the course other than individual discussion with the teachers. The prison gym, where the students live for the full course, is converted to function as a monastery with tarpaulins hung for walls. The teachers move into the prison as well. We hear the experiences of some of the meditators as they train their minds, observe themselves and face feelings of guilt, anger, loss, pain and undefined emotions which come up as storms and where this leads. The film reveals some of their violent crimes so the viewer can better understand the participants’ challenges and changes seen during the film as well as the stakes and impact on the institution and society. Looking forward, the film follows the men and the program and we can see whether and how the changes endure.
The Dhamma Brothers has justifiably received a collection of awards for documentaries at film festivals, as well as from the national Council on Crime and Delinquency. Directed by Jenny Phillips (her first film), a clinical specialist in psychiatric nursing and an initiator of the Donaldson program, Andrew Kukura and Anne Marie Stein, the movie documents the internal conflicts of the men, as well as those of the institution, arising in part from the Buddhist origins of the practice in a primarily Christian culture. The film explains the actual Vipassana practical and its secular nature.
This is a powerful and frank film, relevant and compelling. As with Vipassana, words are insufficient to convey the experience–a reason the film was conceived. In the interest of full disclosure, I should state that my perspective includes some prior experience with this program and Vipassana. The correctional facility where I work was considering hosting the Vipassana course and from those early discussions including, I can attest to the courageous determination of the key individuals who brought the course to Donaldson. Likewise, having done the course, I can only begin to imagine the difficulty and perseverance of these men to successfully complete the 10 days course. One of the rewards of working in correctional health is the experience working with people changing and ascending despite adversity. It is encouraging to see it in the film and have it shared with the public. I have had some non-corrections colleagues contact me after seeing the film to enthusiastically discuss it; likely, many of us will have more such experiences, after the film airs on public television in April. Drs. Phillips, Cavanaugh, and Mr. Ben Turner (a family nurse practitioner and Vipassana teacher who started the program at the North Rehabilitation Facility in King County, WA that ran until the facility closed) spoke further about the program at NCCHC this past October, including more of the specifics, current status, research outcomes , other facilities (Donaldson is the only current site in the US) including the Tijar Jail outside New Delhi and others in India (the subject of another excellent documentary from 10 years ago called Doing Time, Doing Vipassana).
For those wishing to look further, an (also award winning) book Letters from the Dhamma Brothers—Meditation Behind Bars was created from a selection of letters written by program participants at Donaldson including further follow-up. Some of these are posted on the web-site (www.dhammabrothers.com) as well as the schedule for The Dhamma Brothers on PBS and in local theaters and other related information.
The Dhamma Brothers
76 minutes
Directed by Jenny Phillips, Anne Marie Stein and Andrew Kukura
Produced by Jenny Phillips and Anne Marie Stein Co-Producer: Peter Broderick
Editor: Andrew Kukura
Cinematography: Jeremy Leach and Wah Ho Chan
Executive Producers: Geralyn Dreyfous, Nicole Guillemet, Jenny Phillips, Anne Marie Stein and Bestor Cram
Produced by Freedom Behind Bars Productions, LLC in association with Northern Lights Productions and The Lionheart Foundation
Release 2008, 2007
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-775-2
