At 15, he took a life. Three days later, his brother’s life was taken. A moving chronicle of forgiveness, family, and the transformative power of art, Songs From the Hole weaves music and mixed-media storytelling into an innovative documentary visual album.

Through clear-eyed narration and lyrical journal entries, incarcerated musician James “JJ’88” Jacobs reveals his innermost struggles as a person who has both committed and experienced violent harm. While serving a double-life prison sentence, he searches for healing and peace as he comes of age in this documentary-musical odyssey composed behind bars.

In a unique creative process, director Contessa Gayles (The Feminist on Cellblock Y, Founder Girls, The Debutantes) collaborated with protagonist/writer JJ’88 and producer/music producer richie reseda to weave together the collective storytelling of the film’s real-life participants with imagined memories, dreams, and spiritual dialogues set to JJ’88’s original music. The result is a powerful mix of truth telling and dreaming that reveals the potential for healing and liberation within us all.

Learn more about Songs From the Hole here.

The film premieres on Netflix on Aug. 13, 2025.