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Directors: Sophie Compton, Daisy-May Hudson
Distributor/Producer: Power Play Productions

“This was my cell.”

Former women’s prison, HMP Prison Holloway, is awaiting its demolition as it sits abandoned and desolate, existing in a stale form as wildlife gradually reclaims its land. A group of former inmates, varying in both age and background, enter a group therapy session to discuss and explore one another’s stories and individuality, and ultimately, how their time in Holloway has shaped their lives.

Holloway pursues the direction of focusing on the former inmates and their growing collective during the sessions, rather than the prison itself. Potentially controversial, and whilst the gratuitous nature of female prisons does need to be documented, there is something more valuable in documenting the people over the prison.

Holloway engages in the exploration of the women’s mindset and character, rather than the graphic nature (if applicable) of what occurred inside the prison. The women in question go into detail of their background and how they ended up inside. To much distress, the stories told are severely dark in nature. More frightening than any prison sentence.

Throughout, Holloway manages to present itself as an off-beat spectacle. The stripped-down prison cells and decaying walls, plus descriptions from the former inmates, establish such a chilling visual and mindset for the viewer, especially when considering the controversies that Holloway’s existence entailed. At no point is Holloway glamourised, or the prison system championed.

Ultimately, the execution of Holloway ensures that questions are asked of how we as a society, and government, can prevent disarray that leads to female imprisonment. How can we look to stop women being punished, rather than the punishment itself. Directors Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson have created a documentary that takes great pride in presenting its contributors with zero shame or judgment, and does an excellent job in establishing empathy for those particularly in social peril.