The long-awaited documentary “Rock and a Hard Place” produced by Dwayne The Rock Johnson is finally here – it will air on HBO on Monday, March 27. The film follows the lives of incarcerated young people aged between 14 and 24 who are given a second chance through a special boot camp program in the Miami-Dade County Corrections & Rehabilitation Boot Camp. What makes this program so special is that, after the offender in question has completed it, there are only 15 percent chances of doing the crime again, which is significantly lower compared to the national average of 70 percent.
Johnson explained that it was his own experience that inspired him to make this movie: “By the time I was 16, I had been arrested eight or nine times for a variety of things and can relate to what these kids are going through.”
The movie is directed by Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill, who confirmed how much this project means to The Rock. As New Times reports, they said: “Dwayne is a Miami resident who cares deeply about his community and cares about young people who have had difficulties with the law and need a second chance. He had his own run-ins with the law as a youth — and when he first visited the Boot Camp, he was inspired to make this film. It was Dwayne who brought the project to HBO — he’s been advocating for the project since its conception. We were thrilled to be asked to work on it.”
Furthermore, the directors also expressed their own opinion about the program, claiming they firmly believe it can tremendously change a person: “The transformations that occur at Boot Camp are a result of instilling self-discipline and self-worth in the Boot Camp cadets. It’s a process wherein they are broken down and built back up.”
Finally, they concluded: “We have been consistently impressed with Dwayne’s commitment to the cadets and the Boot Camp program. You see his passion for the project in the film as he addresses the young men — pushing them to hold themselves to the same exacting standards to which he holds himself. It’s obvious he cares about his community and its residents.”
Don’t miss the premiere on March 27 at 10 p.m. on HBO.
