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Movies & TV Movies & TV Reviews

A Hard Name

A HARD NAME (Alan Zweig). 100 minutes. Monday (November 9), 1 pm, Workman Theatre. For venues, times, and trailers, see Movies. Rating: NNNN


On the surface, the eight hardened ex-cons trying to get by on the outside in Alan Zweig’s doc seem tough and unpredictable, people you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley.[rssbreak]

But time – pun intended – has given many of them insight into their lives they candidly reveal histories of early childhood abuse (a common denominator) leading to a cycle of crime and prison.

Zweig’s on-camera questions are always the ones we’re wondering about ourselves. The unforgettable subjects, including the man who stabbed fellow inmate Clifford Olson 21 times before Olson committed his notorious crimes, implicitly trust him.

The ending, featuring archival footage hinted at earlier in the film, is unbelievably moving.

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