Clemency (film)

Clemency is a 2019 American drama film written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu. It stars Alfre Woodard, Richard Schiff, Danielle Brooks, Michael O'Neill, Richard Gunn, Wendell Pierce and Aldis Hodge. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2019. It was released on December 27, 2019, by Neon. It received critical acclaim for its screenplay, cinematography, Chukwu's direction, score, themes, and Woodard's performance.[3]

Clemency
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChinonye Chukwu
Produced by
  • Bronwyn Cornelius
  • Julian Cautherley
  • Peter Wong
  • Timur Bekbosunov
  • Alfre Woodard
Written byChinonye Chukwu
Starring
Music byKathryn Bostic
CinematographyEric Branco
Edited byPhyllis Housen
Production
companies
  • ACE Pictures
  • Big Indie Pictures
  • Bronwyn Cornelius Productions
Distributed byNeon
Release date
  • January 27, 2019 (2019-01-27) (Sundance)
  • December 27, 2019 (2019-12-27) (United States)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$364,716[1][2]

Plot

Bernadine Williams, a prison warden, oversees the execution of an inmate that goes awry when the medical staff can't find a vein. Eventually a vein is found and the inmate is executed.

One of Bernadine's inmates is Anthony Woods, a quiet man who continues to maintain his innocence and refuses to talk to Bernadine. Bernadine is well acquainted with his lawyer, Marty, who has been fighting to free him for seven years.

Bernadine learns through Marty that Anthony has lost his final appeal. She begins to make preparations for his death and while she maintains an outwardly calm and professional appearance she struggles emotionally, drinking heavily after work and feuding with her husband, Jonathan, a teacher who wants her to quit her job as he sees how heavily her work has been weighing on her.

Anthony receives a letter from Evette, a former girlfriend, informing him that they have a child. He consents to see her and she reveals that she hid her pregnancy from him and raised her child with another man to give him more opportunities. She offers to let Anthony see his child before he's executed.

Marty continues to file for appeals hoping for a last minute pardon from the governor.

Evette changes her mind and does not bring their son to meet Anthony. The governor also fails to grant clemency.

In his final statement Anthony reasserts his innocence. Bernadine cries as she watches him die.

Cast

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2019.[4] It won the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize there, making Chukwu the first black woman to win the award.[5] Shortly after, Neon acquired distribution rights to the film.[6] It screened at the San Diego International Film Festival on October 18, 2019.[7] It was released on December 27, 2019.[8]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 118 reviews, with an average rating of 7.66/10. The site's consensus reads: "Clemency mines serious social issues for gripping drama, brought to life by an outstanding cast led by Alfre Woodard."[3] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[9]

Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film an "A–" and wrote: "Writer-director Chinonye Chukwu's second feature maintains the quiet, steady rhythms of a woman so consumed by her routine that by the end of the opening credits, it appears to have consumed her humanity as well."[10]

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref(s)
Sundance Film Festival February 2, 2019 U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Chinonye Chukwu Won [11]
Seattle International Film Festival June 9, 2019 Best Actress Alfre Woodard Second place [12]
Best Actor Aldis Hodge Fourth Place
Philadelphia Film Festival October 17, 2019 Best Local Feature Chinonye Chukwu Won [13]
Gotham Awards December 2, 2019 Best Actress Alfre Woodard Nominated [14]
Best Actor Aldis Hodge Nominated
Casting Society of America January 30, 2020 Low Budget – Comedy or Drama Kerry Barden, Paul Schnee, Roya Semnanian Nominated [15]
Black Reel Awards February 6, 2020 Outstanding Independent Film Chinonye Chukwu, Timur Bekbosunov, Julian Cautherley, Bronwyn Cornelius and Peter Wong Nominated [16]
Outstanding Actress Alfre Woodard Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actor Aldis Hodge Nominated
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male Nominated
Outstanding Screenplay, Adapted or Original Chinonye Chukwu Nominated
Outstanding Emerging Director Nominated
Outstanding First Screenplay Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards February 8, 2020 Best Feature Timur Bekbosunov, Julian Cautherley, Bronwyn Cornelius and Peter Wong Nominated [17]
Best Female Lead Alfre Woodard Nominated
Best Screenplay Chinonye Chukwu Nominated
NAACP Image Awards February 22, 2020 Outstanding Independent Motion Picture Clemency Nominated [18]
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Alfre Woodard Nominated
Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture Chinonye Chukwu Nominated

See also

References
  1. "Clemency (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  2. "Clemency (2019)". The Numbers. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  3. "Clemency (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  4. "Sundance Unveils Politics-Heavy Lineup Featuring Ocasio-Cortez Doc, Feinstein Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  5. Erbland, Kate (February 3, 2019). "Sundance: 'Clemency' Filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu Is First Black Woman to Win Biggest Prize". Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 27, 2019). "Chinonye Chukwu's Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner 'Clemency' Acquired By NEON". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  7. "2019 San Diego Intl Film Festival". September 21, 2019. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  8. D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 25, 2019). "Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner 'Clemency' Eyes Awards Season Release Date". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  9. "Clemency Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  10. Kohn, Eric (January 28, 2019). "'Clemency' Review: Alfre Woodard Is Brilliant in Must-See Prison Drama — Sundance". IndieWire. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  11. Debruge, Peter (February 2, 2019). "Sundance Winners: Clemency, One Child Nation Take Top Honors". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  12. "SIFF 2019 Award Winners". SIFF. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  13. "2019 Philadelphia Film Festival: Full lineup revealed". 6abc Philadelphia. October 18, 2019.
  14. "Gotham Awards: 'Marriage Story,' 'The Farewell,' 'Uncut Gems' Lead Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter.
  15. Schaffstall, Katherine (January 2, 2020). "Artios Awards: 'Hustlers,' 'Knives Out,' 'Rocketman' Among Casting Society Film Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  16. Morales, Wilson (December 11, 2019). "20th Annual Black Reel Awards - Nominees Announced". Black Film. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  17. Sharf, Zack; Sharf, Zack (November 21, 2019). "2020 Independent Spirit Awards Nominees: 'Marriage Story,' 'Uncut Gems,' and More".
  18. Haring, Bruce (January 9, 2020). "NAACP Image Awards Nominees: 'Harriet,' 'When They See Us', Netflix Lead Way". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
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