Sleepers

Sleepers is a 1996 crime drama film written, produced and directed by Barry Levinson based on Lorenzo Carcaterra’s book by the same name. The story takes place against the backdrop of mid-60s Hell’s Kitchen and follows the story of four childhood friends, Lorenzo “Shakes” Carcaterra, Tommy Marcano, Michael Sullivan, and John Reilly, in what Lorenzo described as a far from perfect neighbourhood - one of innocence but ruled by corruption albeit a safety net for the kids on the streets and one in which it’s residents understood it’s rules. The boys grew up happy, mischievous and (mostly) good-willed under the supervision of Father Bobby Carelli of the local Parish who cared for the boys as though they were blood relatives and acknowledged them with more love and generosity than he would ever like to admit.

However their Hell’s Kitchen life is suddenly torn from their hands during a typical summer of games, pranks and teenage foolishness where the boys find themselves going a step too far. In what was intended to be a harmless, playful act of stealing hotdogs results in the near-death of an elderly man and the boys are sentenced to varying terms at Wilkinson Home for Boys - a detention centre that would irreversibly stain their lives forever.

During their time there, all four boys were brutalised, enduring violent abuse both sexual and physical by a group of guards. After an agreement to never speak a word of it and each consecutive discharge, each boy was forced to face his own demons as they all entered adulthood. Whereas Lorenzo’s trauma left his life seemingly unaffected and Michael’s compressed beneath his work as an assistant D.A, John and Tommy had become murderous convicts - murderous convicts, who had just so happened upon the leading Wilkinson guard at a bar one night. With lack of remorse, the boys shot him dead leading to Shakes and Michael utilising the case to bring justice and shed light on what happened during their time at the detention centre once and for all.

This is an absolutely gut-wrenching watch but pivotal in its exposure to the conditions of juvenile facilities and how the lasting effects of both abuse and injustice take ahold of the lives that have endured them. I highly recommend you give it a watch (although if you are the emotional type, viewer’s discretion is advised!)