For the Time Being

Michelle married her childhood friend Jermaine in the sterile visiting room of a maximum-security prison—hoping to soon be able to live with him in freedom. Jermaine claims he was wrongfully convicted of murder. He is serving a 22-year sentence at the notorious Sing Sing prison near New York. For years, Michelle has fought tirelessly to prove his innocence, all while caring for her teenage children, Paul and Kaylea, as a single mother. In a grueling routine of brief phone calls, letter-writing, and prison visits, she dreams of an idyllic family life outside the prison walls. Shortly before Paul and Kaylea set out on their own lives, a new piece of evidence is discovered in Jermaine’s case, reigniting her hope for his imminent release. Filmed over nearly a decade, the documentary “For the Time Being” paints an intimate portrait of female resilience.