In the US, long-term solitary confinement is still widely practised, with an estimated 122,000 people isolated in small prison cells for 22 to 24 hours a day. This persists despite movements across much of the world to minimise or end its use on humanitarian grounds. Inside, the Valley Sings profiles three former prisoners turned activists who endured long-term solitary confinement, including a man who first entered solitary at the age of 16, a woman whose conviction was later overturned, and a man who spent more than 22 years in isolation.
Directed by the Irish filmmaker Nathan Fagan, the short documentary uses evocative animation to explore each individual’s experience. While their stories are distinct, overlapping themes of loneliness, agony and elaborate mental escapes run throughout. Beyond making a forceful case against the use of solitary confinement, the film highlights how vital both stimulation and social connection are to the human experience, and the dramatic ways the mind can react when it’s deprived of them.
