Holloway – a remarkable achievement

HOLLOWAY
Directed by Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson
Certificate: 12a
☆☆☆☆☆

IT was 2021, and before the solid walls and barbed wire had been cleared from the closed Holloway Prison, film-makers Daisy-May Hudson and Sophie Compton managed to gain access.

With them they took six former inmates – and the result is a fascinating documentary about the impact of being incarcerated at the Camden Road prison had on their lives.

Every shot echoes memories. As we are taken behind the hoardings, into the now silent walls of what was once Europe’s largest female prison, the stillness resonates: and as the six contributors reveal, every turn, every wall, every architectural tic the soon-to-be-demolished building has prompts and triggers.

Directors and writers Hudson and Compton bring the six back into surroundings that shaped their lives. We are given a seat as they spend a week exploring, and talking.

What emerges is a multi-faceted portrait, including the reasons people find themselves locked up and how it affected them.

As well as trepidation there is joy and humour: these women have lived experiences we as a society should listen to – and the filmmakers have given them a platform to ensure we have no excuse not to.

As is patently obvious but often ignored by public conversation, politicking and stereotypes, this is more than about what it’s like to be inside. It’s about all manner of intertwined social issues, from health and housing, parenting and families, education, backgrounds – it is about causes and effects, and shows the many pronged forks that create circumstance.

Of course, it is a harrowing and upsetting place to be taken around, but Holloway was also a beacon. It housed 30 charities working for women, it played host to such groups as the Suffragettes and Greenham Commoners – its role in the feminist movement in the UK should not be forgotten or underestimated.

And it doesn’t feel exploitative. There are no soapy tricks to prompt or nudge the viewer: Hudson and Compton give the contributors the chance to see the edits and guide how they wanted their story told.

It is hard to think of a better way to make a documentary. Its organic approach, where the six were given the power to shape the narrative both in front of and behind camera, means we are not treated to a documentary director’s eye – rather, the subject matter guides. It’s a remarkable achievement, a remarkable film, and one that feels impactful and important.