"Clemency:" Finding Humanity on Death Row
Not only was this movie so full of gravity I started crying once it was over and had had a chance to sit with me for a few moments, the director of said film, Chinonye Chukwu, is just as incredible. I felt all the feels and I was not upset about it.
Showing as the opener for the New Directors/New Films 2019 Film Festival, this film focused on two people. A female prison warden, Bernadine, played by the astonishing Alfre Woodard, and a death row inmate named Anthony, portrayed by Aldis Hodge. Bernadine was complex in her progression throughout the film which was a contrast to Anthony’s consistency. He clung to any shred of hope he could find with every fiber of his being for fear of being snuffled altogether.
“Clemency” did not specify where it was located, did not have any sort of telling accents. You only knew that the death penalty was legal there. That was all you needed. This film brought humanity to all it touched. Not only was Anthony made tangible, Bernadine and her internal struggle with what she called, her “profession,” was a quiet rollercoaster to watch. She went from cold, to touched, to concerned, to upset, to full of discomfort and emotion over her task, presiding over each and every execution that took place within her prisons walls, 12 to date. What was so touching about her character specifically was the scene in which she struggled internally to rectify her differing ideals. She also had to deal with finally seeing the humanity in a man, right before presiding over his death. She had to work through accepting the fact that she could do absolutely nothing about any of the new feelings of disgust and sadness over execution. At one point in the film, there is a close up on Bernadine’s face that lasts 3-4 minutes, while you hear and sense the life slipping away from Anthony as he lies on the gurney. Her face encapsulates so many emotions that just goes to further show Alfre Woodard deserves all the awards.
Anthony was a different story altogether. He held to hope with everything he had. At first, his lawyer helped him find it. Then, when that seemed to be waning, he suddenly received an unexpected letter from Yvette, his girlfriend prior to prison telling him he had a teenage son. The pride, the joy, the hope spread over his face and radiated from his person. This smoldered some after an emotional visit from said girlfriend, played by none other than Danielle Brooks, who declared to him, days before his death at the hands of the state, that she was not sorry. Not sorry that she didn’t come to his trial, never reached out to him, hadn’t seen him since the day he was arrested. Most of all, she was not sorry she chose their son over him. This news withered Anthony but a promise from Yvette that he could meet his son gave him something to hold on to. Until that too evaporated before his eyes, with Yvette reneging on her promise and never showing up to the appointed visit or contacting him again. This final straw, broke all the hope Anthony had left. He spoke little and contemplated much. Whether or not he was guilty is of little consequence. The film doesn’t make it clear either way. All that matters is that this man realized, continuously, up until the very moment it happened, that he was not in control of when he died.
In closing, this emotional rollercoaster of a film touched also on the strength of black women. As Chinonye mentioned in her talk after the film, this project touched specifically on black women who put themselves, their feelings, their pain, before that of the black men around them. This is something to be noted as we rarely see often, whether on film, or necessarily in real life. All in all, “Clemency” was a study in humanity, which is always a timely lesson and truly something to behold. While the project does not make a stand on either side for the death penalty, it does raise the question: Do you have more to think about?
Showing as the opener for the New Directors/New Films 2019 Film Festival, this film focused on two people. A female prison warden, Bernadine, played by the astonishing Alfre Woodard, and a death row inmate named Anthony, portrayed by Aldis Hodge. Bernadine was complex in her progression throughout the film which was a contrast to Anthony’s consistency. He clung to any shred of hope he could find with every fiber of his being for fear of being snuffled altogether.
“Clemency” did not specify where it was located, did not have any sort of telling accents. You only knew that the death penalty was legal there. That was all you needed. This film brought humanity to all it touched. Not only was Anthony made tangible, Bernadine and her internal struggle with what she called, her “profession,” was a quiet rollercoaster to watch. She went from cold, to touched, to concerned, to upset, to full of discomfort and emotion over her task, presiding over each and every execution that took place within her prisons walls, 12 to date. What was so touching about her character specifically was the scene in which she struggled internally to rectify her differing ideals. She also had to deal with finally seeing the humanity in a man, right before presiding over his death. She had to work through accepting the fact that she could do absolutely nothing about any of the new feelings of disgust and sadness over execution. At one point in the film, there is a close up on Bernadine’s face that lasts 3-4 minutes, while you hear and sense the life slipping away from Anthony as he lies on the gurney. Her face encapsulates so many emotions that just goes to further show Alfre Woodard deserves all the awards.
Anthony was a different story altogether. He held to hope with everything he had. At first, his lawyer helped him find it. Then, when that seemed to be waning, he suddenly received an unexpected letter from Yvette, his girlfriend prior to prison telling him he had a teenage son. The pride, the joy, the hope spread over his face and radiated from his person. This smoldered some after an emotional visit from said girlfriend, played by none other than Danielle Brooks, who declared to him, days before his death at the hands of the state, that she was not sorry. Not sorry that she didn’t come to his trial, never reached out to him, hadn’t seen him since the day he was arrested. Most of all, she was not sorry she chose their son over him. This news withered Anthony but a promise from Yvette that he could meet his son gave him something to hold on to. Until that too evaporated before his eyes, with Yvette reneging on her promise and never showing up to the appointed visit or contacting him again. This final straw, broke all the hope Anthony had left. He spoke little and contemplated much. Whether or not he was guilty is of little consequence. The film doesn’t make it clear either way. All that matters is that this man realized, continuously, up until the very moment it happened, that he was not in control of when he died.
In closing, this emotional rollercoaster of a film touched also on the strength of black women. As Chinonye mentioned in her talk after the film, this project touched specifically on black women who put themselves, their feelings, their pain, before that of the black men around them. This is something to be noted as we rarely see often, whether on film, or necessarily in real life. All in all, “Clemency” was a study in humanity, which is always a timely lesson and truly something to behold. While the project does not make a stand on either side for the death penalty, it does raise the question: Do you have more to think about?
 |
| Discussion moderator along with Chinonye Chukwu and Aldis Hodge |
Comments
Post a Comment