Film Review: Time

 There are lots of movies about heists and hits and doing time, but none offers the emotional punch of Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” a short documentary that’s less about crime than about waiting – and love.

“Time” isn’t about life behind bars or the crime itself. It’s the true story of African-American Sibil Richardson, aka Fox Rich, her husband Robert and how the American criminal justice system affected their large family.

The story starts in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Fox Rich and Robert dreamed of owning a hip-hop clothing store. But one day, with four kids at home and Sibil pregnant with twins, they were arrested for a credit union heist. Though no one was hurt, the crime carries a five-to-99-year sentence.

Calling it an act of desperation, Sibil took a plea bargain and served three and a half of her 12-year sentence. Robert refused that and got a 60-year sentence with no parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

“Time” tells Fox Rich’s excruciating story of waiting, hope and dogged determination as she tries to deal with a less-than-interested criminal justice system. Fox’s pistol of a mother puts it this way: “Shit’s easy to get into. It’s hard to get out of.”

But though busy with the boys, Fox doesn’t sit back and wait. An effective communicator, she files an appeal for Robert’s release and begins to speak in public for the voiceless, offering an opinion she’s heard from her mother: “The prison system is no more than slavery,” adding “and I am an abolitionist.”

Though she has little choice, you have to marvel at Fox’s patience as she tries to navigate through the hurdles of the appeals front. Some of the most heart-wrenching scenes are her calls to the secretary of the judge who will ultimately decide Robert’s fate. Her calm and courtesy only fail once as she thanks the secretary for checking on the appeal each week. “Success is the best revenge,” she says.

Shot in black and white, “Time” is a story that jumps around, compiled from Fox’s 20 years of home movies and contemporary photos, brilliantly put together by editor Gabriel Rhodes.

“Time” is an unusual film with an important message. Rich puts it this way: "Decide not to be defined by your circumstances."