Director/producer Goro Toshima talks about getting to know the three people featured in A HARD STRAIGHT, the lack of rehabilitation opportunities for the incarcerated and his love of documentary filmmaking.

What led you to make this film?

I began to think of making this film in 2000. This was the year that the prison population in the U.S. hit the two million mark. During that time, there was a lot of media about prisons and related issues. So, I was reading and hearing a lot about prisons, prisoners and recidivism. The one story that really struck a chord in me was a radio piece on NPR’s This American Life. The piece was by an ex-prisoner and writer named Joe Loya, who talked about his childhood, crimes and doing time. It was a fascinating story. I tracked him down and found that he lived in Berkeley, [California], about ten miles from me. I went and talked with him. He talked a lot about how the most difficult part of doing time was getting out and trying to establish a life on the outside. This was when I really began to become interested in making my film.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making A HARD STRAIGHT?

The biggest challenge was in finding the right people to be a part of the film. I knew that this was going to be the most crucial aspect of the project and ended up meeting with hundreds of people in prison. Originally, I was hoping to film at least five complete stories and choose the three strongest for the final cut of the film. The most important thing for me was to feel a connection with the person and feel that I would have substantial access to their lives. I began to film with a number of people, but for various reasons, filming with them stopped soon after they got out of prison. In the end, I only ended up filming three complete stories, which are those that are in the film. But I feel I couldn’t have had much more luck in finding these three people in particular to be a part of the film.

Can you explain why you chose to title your film A HARD STRAIGHT?

I’m thinking I should’ve had a different title, because not one person has gotten the reference. The title refers to the phrase that one uses when giving somebody directions… “make a hard right (or left),” which implies a radical change in direction. So “a hard straight” implies making a radical life change in trying to go straight. Also, I just liked the way the title sounds.

How and why did you choose to profile the people featured in the film? How did you meet and develop a relationship with them?

I met Smiley, Regina and Aaron in different ways. I met Smiley’s writing teacher while I was doing research on the film. One day, I received a letter from Smiley saying that he had heard about the project and wanted to learn more about it. In the letter, he included some artwork and poems he had written. Immediately, I knew that he was an incredibly gifted and interesting guy. So I wrote him back. And we ended up corresponding on a weekly basis for about seven months, prior to his getting out.

I met Regina during a visit to her prison. I visited her pre-release class, which is a two-week course that people who are locked up take in order to learn a little about what to expect when paroled. I talked to her class about the project and asked if anybody was interested in talking more about possibly being a part of the film. Regina was the first in line to talk with me. And as soon as we began talking, I felt a strong connection with her and felt she’d be great for this film.

I met Aaron through Gonazalo Rucobo, who is Aaron’s caseworker through Centerforce (a non-profit prisoner’s advocacy group).

I developed relationships with all three (but especially with Regina and Smiley) through spending a lot of time with them, most of which was spent just hanging out and not filming. With Smiley in particular, I spent several days a week, day and night, every week for over a year. Gaining their trust was crucial for this type of film. And I think I achieved that after spending the amount of time I did with them.

What impact do you hope this film will have?

I hope that viewers will see Regina, Smiley and Aaron as human beings. I hope that their emotional and intellectual lives are apparent enough so that the audience will get to know them as people and feel some compassion for what they are going through. And, in the end, I hope that this will lead people to have a deeper understanding of the difficulties that one faces when on parole.

What would you like to see change with reentry programs in the United States?

Well, I think the problem has less to do with reentry programs and more to do with incarceration and the lack of rehabilitation that prisoners receive while locked up. I think the film shows that all three people in the film had problems/issues before going into prison. And during the time they were incarcerated, none of these issues were dealt with. The most effective change, I think, would be in focusing on trying to help people from the time they are locked up. Trying to help them once they are out, instead of while they are in, seems a little too late to try to help these people.

The independent film business is a difficult one. What keeps you motivated?

There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing than working in documentary film. This is what keeps me motivated.

Why did you choose to present your film on public television?

For this type of film, public television is THE venue.

What are your three favorite films?

Grey Gardens, Salesman, Don’t Look Back.

What didn’t you get done when you were making your film?

Socializing, eating regularly, exercising, going outside.

If you weren’t a filmmaker, what kind of work do you think you’d be doing?

Trying to be a filmmaker, probably be a PA [production assistant].

What do you think is the most inspirational food for making independent film?

Broccoli/carrot/tofu stir-fry.

Which filmmakers have most influenced your work?

Nobody well known, at least not yet… my filmmaker friends are the ones who most influence my work, people like Kim Roberts (who edited my film) and Eli Despres.