A beautiful short documentary about a group of incarcerated men who create quilts for foster children, The Quilters is a fantastic watch.
While I do watch a lot of short films, I don’t tend to review them. I try to focus on full-length movies and what I would recommend from that pool, but sometimes you can’t help it. Sometimes a short film is special enough that you have to tell everyone about it.
The Quilters is a documentary about incarcerated men in a level 5 maximum security prison in Licking, Missouri who design and create quilts for foster children in the surrounding area. They also make weighted vests for autistic children. Their goal is to make something for every single foster child in their system.
There is a small area in the prison that is being utilized for this specific purpose. It houses the “sharps” needed for cutting and trimming, sewing machines, fabric, and all of the other items needed to make their creations. All of the fabric is donated to the prison and instead of working in the cafeteria or in some other section of the prison, a select group of men work here as their full-time prison job.
Sometimes the men come up with their own ideas (like one man using patterns with butterflies because they remind him of his mom) and others are based on requests (like the child who wanted something with a 60s vibe). Either way, the passion that the men bring to this project is palpable and clear.
While the quilts are absolutely beautiful and an incredible gift to a child, it is the tone of the documentary and the men’s reactions that may bring you to tears (like me). All of the men asked about their crime owned what they had done. While there are no specifics mentioned, each man has had time to process who they were, the crime they committed, and who they want to be now.
It is the using of their time to give back that is lovely, but it’s not just about giving back to society. They are actively choosing kindness and love to give to a child who may be lacking in those areas. Their gift is giving these children the ability to fully wrap themselves in love and be able to take it with them for the rest of their lives. Of all the gifts in the world, that is right up there at the top, in my opinion.
This is a charming documentary that only gets better over its very quick 33 minute runtime. I was actually a little disappointed that it wasn’t longer – I would have loved to see more, even if it didn’t include new information. But I will take what I can get and this short is absolutely worth watching.
Runtime: 33 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: TV-14
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes, definitely
Did I Cry? Yep, I did
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Available: Currently on Netflix or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
While I do watch a lot of short films, I don’t tend to review them. I try to focus on full-length movies and what I would recommend from that pool, but sometimes you can’t help it. Sometimes a short film is special enough that you have to tell everyone about it.
