Another Take: ReelBob: ‘Caged’ ★★½

An unnerving drama about prison abuse and the mental deterioration created by long-term solitary confinement.

“Caged” is, in general, an indictment of the U.S. penal system and, specifically, the overuse of long stretches of solitary confinement of inmates.

It is a harrowing story of physical and mental abuse and of the struggles of trying to maintain one’s sanity in isolation.

Dr. Harlow Reid (Edi Gathegi), a psychiatrist, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in a federal facility for the killing of his wife. Reid maintains his innocence, but the prison authorities are deaf to his claims.

Reid is placed in the Shoe, the prison’s solitary confinement facility, after contraband is found in his cell — a razor blade that Reid claims he knows nothing about.

Initially, he adapts, but as time passes — and his primary guard, Officer Sacks (Melora Hardin), verbally torments him — his resolve and mental state begin to waver.

Writer-director Aaron Fjellman uses various camera tricks — out-of-focus and distorted lens shots — to chart Reid’s gradual mental deterioration.

While Reid’s predicament is the focus of the movie, its bigger message is the dehumanization and ill-treatment of inmates.

Sacks, especially, symbolizes that. Hardin’s performance is the movie’s main drawback. It is too over-the-top and melodramatic. It unbalances Fjellman’s overall tone.
As Reid turns more and more inward, he begins hallucinating — hearing voices, especially that of the inmate formerly in the next cell, and that of his own reflection in his cell mirror as well as manifestations of his dead wife.

“Caged” captures the paranoia that slowly engulfs Reid as he tries desperately to maintain his sanity while writing an appeal for a new trial.

He appears thwarted at every turn by Sacks, who continually inflicts mental — and sometimes physical — pain on Reid.

Bit by bit, Reid regains his faculties, but the price he pays is so high it makes you wonder if it is worth it.

The film’s finale is satisfying and provides a touch of ambiguity.

Overall, the movie is boosted by Gathegi’s traumatic performance. His Reid is self-confident, arrogant and controlling, and we watch how loneliness strips him of those traits, turning him into a caged animal.

Smartly, Fjellman does not resort to exploitation to get his message across. “Caged” is a candid look at how a flawed prison system robs an individual of his humanity while espousing its mission of rehabilitation.

It’s a film that makes you think.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

CAGED
2½ stars out of 4
Not rated, disturbing images, language