Direction: Chinonye Chukwu
Country: USA
It’s with feral intensity and profound commitment that Alfre Woodard shapes her performance in Chinonye Chukwu’s thought-provoking death-row drama, Clemency. She is Bernardine Williams, an iron-hand prison warden who, as the years go by, gets deeply affected by the number of deaths she has been connected with. She usually takes the proceedings regarding to each case with such a determination and punctiliousness, but the next prisoner in line, Anthony Woods (Aldis Hodge), brings a considerable change in the way she sees and approaches her job. In truth, Bernardine struggles with sleep disorders, and every time she closes her eyes for a brief minute, the nightmares haunt her mercilessly. She’s been unable to maintain a normal life for the recent times, and what had been a solid marriage with her supportive husband Jonathan (Wendell Pierce), a dedicated teacher, seems to be crumbling fast.
The fragility of her emotional state is amplified, especially because there are serious doubts about if Woods really killed the cop for which he was convicted 15 years before. Despite the multiple appeals of his lawyer, Marty Lumetta (Richard Schiff), and daily public demonstrations outside the prison, no clemency is given.
This is Chukwu’s sophomore feature film and a solid step forward in her short yet promising filmmaking career. Balanced in tone and devastating in its conclusion, Clemency provides a refreshing alternative to the death-row-themed movies, addressing the problem from an uncommon angle.
