Clemency (2019) on Netflix
Anthony Woods, an inmate on death row, has spent seven years insisting he is innocent while warden Bernadine Williams prepares for his execution and his lawyer Marty seeks a pardon.
- Netflix3.0/5
- IMDb6.5/105,881 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes91%
Trailer
Plot summary
Bernadine Williams is the warden of a prison where she has carried out executions for years, working with the chaplain David Kendricks. One lethal injection goes wrong when the medical officer cannot find a vein. Anthony Woods, who has always said he is innocent, will not talk to her during her visits to his cell. His lawyer Marty has fought for seven years to free him and learns that the final appeal has failed. A letter from Anthony's former girlfriend Evette tells him he is a father. At home Bernadine cannot sleep, drinks after work, and clashes with her husband Jonathan, a teacher who wants her to quit. Marty asks the governor for a pardon.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Clemency (2019)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Chinonye Chukwu was inspired to write Clemency by the widely protested 2011 execution of Troy Davis in Georgia. Her six years of research included running a film program for Ohio inmates and advocating for retrials in unsafe cases.
- When Clemency won the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, Chinonye Chukwu became the first black woman to win that award.
