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6.3/10 • 109

2019-12-271h 52m

Drama

Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill.

Directors
Chinonye Chukwu
Writters
Chinonye Chukwu
Editors
Chinonye Chukwu, Phyllis Housen

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Alfre Woodard

    Alfre Woodard

    Warden Bernadine Williams

  2. Richard Schiff

    Richard Schiff

    Marty Lumetta

  3. Aldis Hodge

    Aldis Hodge

    Anthony Woods

  4. Wendell Pierce

    Wendell Pierce

    Jonathan Williams

  5. Danielle Brooks

    Danielle Brooks

    Evette Wilkinson

  6. Michael O'Neill

    Michael O'Neill

    Chaplain David Kendricks

  7. Richard Gunn

    Richard Gunn

    Deputy Thomas Morgan

  8. LaMonica Garrett

    LaMonica Garrett

    Major Logan Cartwright

  9. Vernee Watson-Johnson

    Vernee Watson-Johnson

    Mrs. Collins

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Feb 6, 2024

7/10

This features a really poignant and strong effort from Alfre Woodard as the warden of a prison charged with ensuring the execution of prisoners. She, "Bernadine" is finding it increasingly more difficult to reconcile the responsibilities of her job with her own conscience and her marriage. None of these demons are helped when one such "procedure" goes awry and, though not her fault, she finds herself under increased scrutiny as Aldis Hodge's "Woods" is soon to follow. The performance elements of this from Woodard and from Wendell Pierce as her loving but increasingly exasperated husband "Jonathan" work well, creating a really quite powerful vision of a woman torn between remaining objective - she is, after all, doing her job - and of a woman increasingly appreciative of the terminal nature of her task and of her own failings and religiosity. The remainder of the drama, last minute appeals etc., works less well and Richard Schiff really doesn't deliver much at all as the convicted man's attorney "Lumetta" - a man who seems to be trying to imbue hope in a man based on wishful thinking and some far-fetched technicalities. Auteur Chinonye Chukwu takes her time with this impassioned story and that's no bad thing at times, allowing us to become a little more immersed in the character of the troubled "Bernadine". At other times, though, the pace really does need a bit of a shake. The whole isn't as good as the sum of the parts, but it's still quite a thought-provoking look at just where responsibility lies in circumstances none of us would ever want to experience.

Media

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
$309,776.00
Keywords
prisondeath rowlethal injectionprison wardenwoman director