Clemency
Cert 15, 112 minutes, on video on demand from 17 July
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Richard Schiff Director: Chinonye Chukwu THE PLOT World-weary prison warden Bernadine (Woodard) maintains a stoic poise as she prepares to execute her latest death row prisoner (Hodge), sticking rigorously to protocol as the days tick down to his lethal injection. WHAT’S RIGHT WITH IT? It’s a wonderfully modulated performance by four-time Emmy winner Woodard, who subtly lets the cracks appear in her tough façade. WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT? Despite Bernadine’s interactions with an array of men, including her husband, the condemned man and his lawyer
(Schiff), major dramatic audiences events looking are not for going to be rewarded. VERDICT This Sundance Film Festival top prize winner makes no apologies for being monumentally bleak. Thanks to the performances, it’s also amply moving. HHH Charles Gant