CLEMENCY Trailer

A prison warden struggles to carry the weight in Clemency, the latest from writer/director Chinonye Chukwu.

It’s not just any prison Bernadine must keep going; she’s got death row under her supervision, meaning she must deal with the peculiar needs of inmates who know their end date, desperate families, protests, and the burden on her staff who must carry out executions. She’s a pro, though, having bottled up all the pressure until, finally, the container overflows. She breaks down as another execution approaches, forcing her to question the roll she plays in an unfeeling system.

Tackling the death penalty is a big topic for any filmmaker, especially one as green as Chukwu. She’s got one feature under her belt, the 2012 family drama alaskaLand, so Clemency marks an ambitious step forward. She’s got a wealth of films to pull from on the topic, though, as many have broached the injustice of this part of the American criminal justice system before, including one the film’s going toe-to-toe with this awards season, Just Mercy.

What Chukwu can hang her hat on is Alfre Woodard as Bernadine, who carries this film with devastating ease. I caught this one during its festival run, and her performance alone is enough to recommend it. It’s great otherwise, too, but Woodard especially. See it.

Clemency is directed by Chinonye Chukwu and stars Alfre Woodard, Wendell Pierce, and Aldis Hodge. It will be released in the US on December 27th, 2019. Further release dates are not currently known.

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