Clemency
(Chinonye Chukwu)
This notable second feature from Chinonye Chukwu reminded me of a specific line from Werner Herzog’s 2011 documentary Into the Abyss. A prison executioner inquires “How're you gonna live your dash?”, reminding audiences of that etched-in line between your birth and death day on a headstone. In Clemency, that same question can be asked of Warden Bernadine Williams (Alfre Woodard). In the film’s opening scene, we see her go through the protocol and procedure of executing an inmate. This passage is a riveting one, loaded with numerous details that inform our reading of its lead character and how she functions within her stressful milieu. Consider that Bernadine doesn’t initially respond to her title of Warden or her clinical interactions with a family member of the soon-to-be executed. Or the performative aspects she provides during the execution sequence itself. These moments suggest trauma that Chukwu unravels and explores with a great deal of thought and consideration throughout Clemency.
As the film’s narrative develops, we see her undergo a confluence of stressors: the execution at the start of the film was botched, she has another execution scheduled with an inmate that has generated a great deal of public support, and her marriage is falling apart. Those anxieties and preoccupation eat away at her in profoundly cruel ways and it’s to Chukwu’s credit that she’s able to inspire a measure of hope to the whole proceedings. A lot of it has to do with her matter-of-fact lyricism which summoned the memory of John Sayles’ filmography. The film is perhaps nothing much to look at (its shallow and muted visual design reminded me of a specific brand of procedurals from the 90s), but the strength of Woodard’s performance (along with her co-star Aldis Hodge, who gives one of the best supporting male performances of the year) elevate the limits of the film’s craft. And more importantly, Chukwu’s capacity of addressing an issue as unsexy as death penalty reform in both a lyrical and clinical context affords Clemency a palpable sense of urgency.