Martha: Behind Bars

The characterization is evidently from Mommie Dearest. The style is essentially that to be found on any prime-time drama nowadays, with especially in the prison scenes a handheld camera operated by a second cousin to give a familiar sense of intimacy. What distinguishes this telefilm is that the actors are both capable and allowed to act, which goes for the other departments as well.

The best of all this is the incredibly bitter truth displayed in the prison competition for best Christmas decorations. Martha’s group make origami cranes suspended from ribbons, and lose to a pile of construction paper called Away in a Manger. “My dog could make something better than that,” observes a fellow prisoner.