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The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest (2014)

Posted By: MirrorsMaker
The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest (2014)

The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest (2014)
WEBRip 720p | MKV | 1280 x 720 | x264 @ 2753 Kbps | English AAC 2.0 @ 64 Kbps + English subs | 99 min | 2,05 Gb
Genre: Documentary, Animation

Once known as Houdini for his multiple and improbable jailbreaks, Mark DeFriest was condemned to Florida's toughest prison after a lone psychiatrist declared he was faking mental illness. When that doctor reaches out 30 years later, DeFriest finds an unlikely ally willing to examine his infamous past and offer new insights to the Parole Commission.


I woke up today thinking about this, and likely will follow this story to what I hope is a happy ending.

This indictment of the Florida Penal System tells the story of Mark Defriest. Mark received a 4 year sentence essentially for stealing tools that he believed were entrusted to him by his father.

A sentence that seems a bit harsh in retrospect, but that's only the beginning of the story.

It's almost comical that we use the word "rehabilitation" when talking about the prison system - when this film shows-us, shockingly, the debilitating nature of the system. The system failed Mark Defriest - taking a brilliant mind, a free-spirit, and nearly breaking both.

The film is bolstered by some comical moments, which speak to Mark's steadfast and still-amazingly-present sanity. The interviews, for me, are really the highlight of the film, but the film's music and animation raise this piece to another level. To me the 'angle' of proving Mark's insanity is only a sad state of "Telling them what they want to hear and not addressing the real problem which is the system itself", but I guess if that is what is best for Mark then so be it. Mark is crazy, but not (dice clay draw) "crazy". During the opening credits Mark sums it up, "I mean if I was just a rapist or murderer or somethin' they'd let me out, I mean I made them look like idiots". And they were next to him,

ONe of the most damning aspects of the movie are the interviews with a former Warden. You can feel the remorse and responsibility he felt with every word he uttered, and the stories only justify and offset the long history of disciplinary reports that the parole board kept throwing back in Mark's face. I'd like to see how some of those weasels would fair in the prison system.

This is a very good film. Not quite as good as "Stop at Nothing:The Lance Armstrong Story", but it's close. Both are better than "Life Itself" and both will likely be the only two documentary films that hold onto a top 25 spot for 2014 - unless another film like this jumps out and surprises me.

Seek this out immediately. I caught it on Showtime last night. Completely enthralling and seriously well-made exposition on one man's wasted potential, and the system that wasted it.

This could climb in terms of my score and rankings after I chew on it for a bit.

84/100 HIGHLY recommended. "Thought Cafe's" animation really adds another dimension.
(click to enlarge)
The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest (2014)
The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest (2014)

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