Time Has No Sympathy

Filmed at San Francisco County Jail #4 in San Bruno, Samuelson’s documentary is primarily narrated by one of the inmates. It evokes the grinding repetition of prison life and the specific difficulties of incarcerated women, many of whom are repeat offenders for minor charges and the sole caregivers for their children. The women talk about their sentences and what they can do when their time is up—and, in one case, the need to organize for justice. Dorothy Littlejohn’s exceptional cinematography renders the women in a beautiful light, capturing the grace of their gestures.