KEITH on Reels

Directed by Nigerian-American Chinonye Chukwu who became the first black woman to win the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for this particular movie in 2019, Clemency is a profound and insightful film with a unique perspective on the American criminal system and capital punishment by presenting itself as a character study of a prison warden overseeing executions; it feels very realistic as a result of the brilliant performance given by Alfre Woodard. The story is a rather simple one that follows the female African American prison warden Bernadine Williams, played by Oscar nominee Alfre Woodard in by far her best performance, during the rather bureaucratic preparations for the execution of convicted murderer Anthony Woods, played by the terrific Aldis Hodge. Yes, it explores the divisive institution of capital punishment as a whole in a fairly negative light, but the main thrust of the movie is to show the immense psychological toll that legally putting someone to death has on the prison employees, particularly the warden who is responsible for making sure everything goes according to the state’s plan. Unlike the stereotypical Hollywood depiction of wardens as either extremely cruel or indifferent background characters, the filmmaker does a excellent job of showing how the difficult job of being a prison warden, especially when an execution is about to take place, affects the character Bernadine in both her personal and professional lives. She has trouble connecting with her husband Jonathan, played by Wendell Pierce, who fears she is becoming emotionally distant in their relationship the direct result of her stressful and important career. Reflecting the slow-moving anguish for Anthony as well as the victim’s family and the extended time it takes to finally reach the actual execution, the movie has a very deliberate and drawn-out pace that portrays even the smallest details of the lead-up to the lethal injection of a death row inmate and how each staff member is responsible for a certain task related to ending Anthony’s life. Woodard, who was definitely snubbed by the Oscars, is able to convey her character’s gut-wrenching mixed emotions just through her facial expressions during the quiet and difficult moments as she reflects on her job and whether it is morally right to be in charge of enacting capital punishment. Overall, I found it to be one of the more emotionally powerful films I have seen in a long time and, although it is very difficult to watch at times, is a cinematic experience that should be seen in order for people to gain greater insight into the death penalty by delving deep into the largely unheard-of viewpoints from prison staff and the warden.