Clemency
2.5/4
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Wendell Pierce, Richard Schiff, Michael O'Neill, Richard Gunn
Rated R for Some Disturbing Material, and Language
"Clemency" is difficult to endure. Often I would use such a description as a compliment. Many of the best films put the viewer through and emotional wringer. "The War Zone," "Saving Private Ryan," "Boys Don't Cry," "Once Were Warriors," "In the Bedroom." Those are great movies, and calling them disturbing or hard to watch is a testament to their power. Not this time, however. "Clemency" is certainly not easy to watch, but not in the same way. With those other movies, I felt like I was getting something out of it, or that it was for a reason. I didn't feel that here.
Bernadine Williams (Woodard) is the warden at a prison facility that houses death row inmates and carries out executions. Bernadine's job isn't a happy one and she recognizes this, but she is able to make it through the day with the knowledge that she is doing her job and giving the men she executes "dignity." But cracks are beginning to show in her facade. She's drinking too much. Her relationship with her husband Jonathan (Williams) is on the verge of falling apart. And the impending execution of Anthony Woods (Hodge), a man who could possibly be innocent, is getting to her.
The problem with I had with this movie is easy to explain: I didn't know what it was about. Is it a character study of Bernadine? If so, it's incomplete. Is it a criticism of the death penalty? How so? Sure, it's a sordid business that causes everyone misery, but do we need a two-hour movie to tell us that? Is it a series of events that cause Bernadine to realize that she needs to retire? Or is it about how a doomed man gets under the skin of a tough-as-nails woman? If so, then what is their relationship exactly? How are they connected? These questions are raised and certainly possibilities, but I can't answer them.
This isn't to disparage the heroic efforts of Alfre Woodard. She's brilliant in the role of a woman falling apart. But the attempts to get inside her head are unsuccessful. How Bernadine feels about her job is unclear, and why she is hesitant to retire like Jonathan wants is left unanswered. Does she love the power and the responsibility? Or does she feel like she owes it to the inmates? Guilt?
The supporting cast of character actors is also strong, including Aldis Hodge as an uncommunicative man who still carries a flicker of hope. Then there's Richard Schiff who, for once, isn't playing an obnoxious pain in the ass. He's quite good as the mild-mannered but passionate lawyer. He tells both Bernadine and Anthony that he will fight for his client until the very last minute, and I believed him. He taps into a core of warmth from his character's very soul, and it's a side of him that I haven't seen before.
Although Chinonye Chukwu wrote and directed this film, I don't think he knows the answers to these questions, or any others that the film raises. And there are plenty. He creates mood and pain without explaining or understanding it. Filmmaking of this sort is about communicating something to the audience. The film is well-made and strongly acted, but I don't know what the point of it is.
I'm not opposed to films that make me sad or uncomfortable. I've gone out of my way to praise many of them. More than a few have ended up on my Top 10 list. But in those cases I felt like it was for a purpose. Whether it was because of the story arc or because it made me understand something about a dark subject. With "Clemency," all it seems to be able to say is that the death penalty is a dreary ordeal that causes misery for everyone involved, no matter how far removed. You don't need a whole movie to understand that.
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Wendell Pierce, Richard Schiff, Michael O'Neill, Richard Gunn
Rated R for Some Disturbing Material, and Language
"Clemency" is difficult to endure. Often I would use such a description as a compliment. Many of the best films put the viewer through and emotional wringer. "The War Zone," "Saving Private Ryan," "Boys Don't Cry," "Once Were Warriors," "In the Bedroom." Those are great movies, and calling them disturbing or hard to watch is a testament to their power. Not this time, however. "Clemency" is certainly not easy to watch, but not in the same way. With those other movies, I felt like I was getting something out of it, or that it was for a reason. I didn't feel that here.
Bernadine Williams (Woodard) is the warden at a prison facility that houses death row inmates and carries out executions. Bernadine's job isn't a happy one and she recognizes this, but she is able to make it through the day with the knowledge that she is doing her job and giving the men she executes "dignity." But cracks are beginning to show in her facade. She's drinking too much. Her relationship with her husband Jonathan (Williams) is on the verge of falling apart. And the impending execution of Anthony Woods (Hodge), a man who could possibly be innocent, is getting to her.
The problem with I had with this movie is easy to explain: I didn't know what it was about. Is it a character study of Bernadine? If so, it's incomplete. Is it a criticism of the death penalty? How so? Sure, it's a sordid business that causes everyone misery, but do we need a two-hour movie to tell us that? Is it a series of events that cause Bernadine to realize that she needs to retire? Or is it about how a doomed man gets under the skin of a tough-as-nails woman? If so, then what is their relationship exactly? How are they connected? These questions are raised and certainly possibilities, but I can't answer them.
This isn't to disparage the heroic efforts of Alfre Woodard. She's brilliant in the role of a woman falling apart. But the attempts to get inside her head are unsuccessful. How Bernadine feels about her job is unclear, and why she is hesitant to retire like Jonathan wants is left unanswered. Does she love the power and the responsibility? Or does she feel like she owes it to the inmates? Guilt?
The supporting cast of character actors is also strong, including Aldis Hodge as an uncommunicative man who still carries a flicker of hope. Then there's Richard Schiff who, for once, isn't playing an obnoxious pain in the ass. He's quite good as the mild-mannered but passionate lawyer. He tells both Bernadine and Anthony that he will fight for his client until the very last minute, and I believed him. He taps into a core of warmth from his character's very soul, and it's a side of him that I haven't seen before.
Although Chinonye Chukwu wrote and directed this film, I don't think he knows the answers to these questions, or any others that the film raises. And there are plenty. He creates mood and pain without explaining or understanding it. Filmmaking of this sort is about communicating something to the audience. The film is well-made and strongly acted, but I don't know what the point of it is.
I'm not opposed to films that make me sad or uncomfortable. I've gone out of my way to praise many of them. More than a few have ended up on my Top 10 list. But in those cases I felt like it was for a purpose. Whether it was because of the story arc or because it made me understand something about a dark subject. With "Clemency," all it seems to be able to say is that the death penalty is a dreary ordeal that causes misery for everyone involved, no matter how far removed. You don't need a whole movie to understand that.
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