Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
One of the most esteemed true crime documentaries of the year has little to do with the crime itself. Directed by Garrett Bradley, Time focuses on the incarceration of Rob G. Rich and the steps his wife, Fox Rich, has taken toward his release. Despite its personal focus on Rob G. Rich and the charismatic Fox Rich, Time’s focus isn’t confined to this one case. Rather it uses this crime as a springboard to examine what’s lost when someone is sentenced to prison and the racial imbalance prevalent in America’s judicial system.
In the ’90s Rob G. Rich and Fox Rich, born as Sibil Fox, had a dream to open the first hip-hop clothing store in their town of Shreveport, La. But in Fox Rich’s own words, they were struggling. Desperate to get more money quickly, the couple decided to rob Grambling Federal Credit Union. The plan was for Rob G. Rich and his nephew to rob the bank, but it failed. Instead, all three were sentenced to jail time with Rob. G. Rich getting the most intense sentence. In June of 1999 he was sentenced to 60 years in prison with no possibility of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.
Time follows Fox Rich as she battles the Louisiana justice system and fights for her husband’s release. Her fight has spanned the last 21 years and in the process she has become an outspoken advocate for prison reform. Told through home movies of the Rich family, interviews with Fox Rich, and footage of her speaking, the documentary explores the life Rob G. Rich has been robbed of since his incarceration. Thanks to footage that Rich herself provided, the documentary details the Rich family getting older and the couple’s six sons growing up. All of this happens as Fox Rich’s husband and partner sits in prison.
Because of this Bradley’s documentary isn’t necessarily about the central crime the Rich family committed or whether their sentences were fair. Rather it’s a deeply human look into the gaps of incarceration, the lost years and missing birthdays that fade away when a person is imprisoned. Time is the rare true crime documentary that expands past crime itself to look at the complete human picture.
