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Screenplay & Direction: Tim Robbins.

Starring: Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn.

Running time: 120 minutes.

“This film ennobles filmmaking.”-Roger Ebert

Dead Man Walking is inspired by the memoirs of Sister Helen Prejean, an American Catholic nun who is a renowned crusader against the death penalty. She is a social activist, but new to the world of courts, prisons and criminals. On request, she visits Matthew Poncelet, a youth condemned for rape and murder of two teenagers. Poncelet wants to seek her help to appeal for clemency. The officials in the establishment, including the chaplain, disapprove of her interest in helping Matthew. However, Sr Helen connects with the introverted, defiant youth who pretends innocence. She gets the help of an old lawyer. But the attempt to save Matthew fails, because of the Governor’s opportunism, and the heinous nature of the murder.  Helen’s quest for clemency exposes the cruel complexities of the system of crime and punishment—the attitude of the politicians, the legal officers, the clergy and the general public, displaying a system that is deeply defective, arbitrary and biased in favour of the powerful and the privileged. Sister Helen shares the trauma faced by the criminal and his family as well as the families of the victims. Helen does not press the familiar ‘religious’ patronising on anyone. But as Poncelet’s spiritual advisor, she counsels the young man to accept his personal responsibility and make peace with God before he goes to receive his lethal injection. She stays with him in during the final moments, telling him “I want the last face you see to be the face of love.”

Dead Man Walking tells us that killing, whether done by a government or individuals, deeply wounds everyone connected to it one way or the other. It is also about the redeeming power of love and forgiveness. The death penalty or capital punishment is highly contested form of punishment. It does not reduce the levels of crime; it fosters a mentality of revenge rather than of correction; there is no way to correct a wrong judgement; the rate of punishment is disproportionately higher for poorer persons. Politics, personal and collective anger, and sheer callousness operate behind it.

The movie received great critical acclaim—two Oscar nominations and one win for Susan Sarandon, who played Helen Prejean.

Quotes from the movie:

Mathew Poncelet: “I never had no real love myself. I never loved a woman or anybody else or myself, just never could. Might figure I’d have to die to find love. Thank you for loving me.”

Sister Helen Prejean: “I’m just trying to follow the example of Jesus, who said every person is worth more than his worst act.”

“Redemption isn’t some kind of free admission ticket that you get because Jesus paid the price….”


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