The Mind of Mark DeFriest
The Mind of Mark DeFriest (also known as The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest) is a documentary film about Mark DeFriest, a man imprisoned by the State of Florida since 1980, who spent 27 of those years in solitary confinement. His original four-year sentence, for taking his father's tools after his death, before they had been released to him by the court, and then fleeing the police, has been repeatedly extended due to numerous escape attempts, seven of which were successful, and because of infractions committed while in prison.[1][2][3]
| The Mind of Mark DeFriest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Gabriel London |
| Produced by | Daniel J. Chalfen Gabriel London Charlie Sadoff |
| Starring | Mark DeFriest Ron McAndrew John Middleton Bonnie DeFriest Barbie Taylor Robert Berland |
| Music by | Ronan Coleman |
| Cinematography | Eric Koretz William Charles Moss Andreas Wagner |
| Edited by | Nick Clark |
| Distributed by | Found Objects and Naked Edge Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 100 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
"If I was a rapist or a murderer, they'd let me out," DeFriest says in the film. "But I'm the idiot who made them look like idiots."[4]
Reception
The film won the 2014 Best Documentary Feature award at the Lone Star Film Festival.[5] It has a score of 82% on Metacritic.[6]
References
- Cammy Clark (November 7, 2014). "Film tells dark tale of Mark DeFriest, the long-imprisoned 'Houdini of Florida'". Miami Herald.
- "The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest: New Film Captures Florida Prisoner's Shocking Ordeal Behind Bars". Democracy Now!. November 20, 2014.
- Dennis Harvey (May 8, 2014). "Film Review: 'The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest'". Variety.
- Mark Hinson (14 August 2014). "Meet Mark DeFriest, the most unlucky prisoner in Florida". Tallahassee Democrat.
- "2014 LSFF Jury Competition Winners". Lone Star Film Festival. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- "The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest". Metacritic.