Caged

Set inside a women's prison, the story unfolds across sterile corridors, crowded cells, and a rigid social order. The environment is ruled by a punitive matron and a brutal hierarchy. Prison yards and solitary confinement spaces become the stage for power struggles and desperate acts.

⚖️ Justice & Control

Prison acts as a stage where authority asserts control through punishment and procedure. The matron Evelyn Harper embodies the coercive power that governs inmate lives, while parole is a fragile carrot used to maintain order. The system prioritizes order over rehabilitation, often leaving vulnerable inmates trapped between rules and fear. The tension between Benton's reformist ideals and Harper's hardline tactics exposes how justice can be co-opted to maintain domination.

👶 Motherhood

Marie’s pregnancy tests the limits of institutional life, forcing her to confront motherhood under surveillance. The prospect of custody and adoption is a constant undercurrent, shaping her choices and loyalties. The prison becomes a site where vulnerability can lead to both strength and exploitation. The film uses this tension to question who gets to define family within a punitive system.

🌀 Corruption & Survival

Survival requires adaptability; Marie learns to navigate a world where crime and punishment intersect. Kitty's brutal ascendancy and the riot over a shared kitten illuminate how fear and power can warp moral judgment. As Marie becomes more cynical, she allies with criminals to secure safety and freedom, blurring lines between victim and participant. The ending implies that the system feeds the very cycles it pretends to control.