Life & Life

Life & Life probes questions of violent crime and punishment through the story of Reggie Austin, a likable, surprisingly honest musician who spent 35 years behind bars, denied time and again by the parole board despite many recommendations that he be released. While filming the Frank Morgan tribute concert in San Quentin for Sound of Redemption, I met inmate Reginald Austin # B57661, a fellow musician who knew Frank when they were in the Q together. By then, Reggie had been in jail for 33 years for second-degree murder. He was not sure he’d ever get out. But he was sure of two things: his own guilt, and the inadequacies of the criminal justice system. That night in 2012, something special happened. Reggie got onstage to play a tune with the all-star band, and by his own account, it changed his life. Life & Life is about what happened from there and how that moment led to Mr. Austin’s parole after 12 previous unsuccessful attempts. It delves into the heart of our mass incarceration problem and touches on a whole range of issues about social justice, racism, inequality, violence, drug addiction, rehabilitation, forgiveness and redemption. (Indican Pictures)