Even as it turns an unwavering eye on the criminal justice system, “Time” is an extremely hopeful film. Garrett Bradley’s documentary feature debut is the story of Fox Rich, a woman fighting to free her incarcerated husband. It’s an uphill battle, but no matter the obstacle — apathetic court officials, judges failing to file rulings on time, astronomical lawyer bills, even her own dubious mother — Fox won’t let anything distract or dissuade her from her mission.
Fox’s husband, Rob, was sentenced to 60 years in prison for a robbery they both committed in the early ’90s. Fox pled guilty, Rob did not. Ever since she completed her own, relatively short sentence, Fox has focused on freeing Rob and has kept him connected to their family with home videos. “Time” juxtaposes these videos with Bradley’s present-day footage of Fox and the couple’s children. The viewer gets to see how much has changed while Rob has been imprisoned — their younger sons have completely grown up without having him around — and how much has not. Despite the myriad frustrations she experiences and the roadblocks she runs into, Fox’s support of her husband is constant. She never gives up, so the viewer doesn’t either.
Along with being an intimate study of the toll our broken system can take on a family, “Time” is also a portrait of a truly inspiring woman. Fox describes herself as an abolitionist, and shares her story to raise awareness about mass incarceration and systemic racism. While devoting herself to activism and advocating for her husband, she has raised six sons on her own and runs her own business. She is also a person with needs. The film subtly but unmistakably imparts that Fox misses a lot about her husband, including the physical part of their relationship. She wants her partner and the father of her children back, and she wants her lover, too.
It’s tempting to describe Fox Rich as a real-life superhero, but that would deprive her of the complexity that makes her such a compelling character. She’s not perfect, nobody is, but she is extraordinary. In a world that routinely diminishes and ignores Black women, she is single-handedly taking on the system.
“Time” is now in theaters and will hit Amazon Prime October 16. Bradley won Sundance’s Directing Award: U.S. Documentary for the film, becoming the first Black woman to receive the prize.
