Explain how this movie can change public understanding of capital punishment. You need to use scholarly materials to support your statements. The film reflection notes are expected to be between 500 to 800 words that will include the following: 1. General introduction of film and explaining important parts of it 2. Applying main concepts and arguments of class materials to the movie. 3. Your brief analysis and conclusion, 4- References and appropriate citations.
The film meticulously covers the final days leading up to Poncelet’s execution by lethal injection. Its important components are:
The Relationship: The evolving, complex relationship between Sister Helen and Poncelet, forcing the audience to see the condemned man not as a "monster," but as a flawed, scared human being capable of small acts of growth and, ultimately, confession and repentance.
The Victims' Families: The film dedicates significant time to the palpable grief, anger, and desire for vengeance held by the families of the victims. This ensures the narrative is not simply a defense of the criminal but an honest portrayal of the irrevocable harm caused by the crime.
The Execution Scene: The climax is the execution itself, portrayed with a cold, procedural realism. This scene is designed to remove the distance between the viewer and the state-sanctioned killing, highlighting the physical and emotional mechanism of the death penalty.
The film directly addresses the core philosophical and sociological arguments surrounding capital punishment, primarily retribution and deterrence, by making them personal and emotional.
The movie Dead Man Walking (1995), directed by Tim Robbins and based on the memoir by Sister Helen Prejean, is a potent cinematic tool that challenges and can potentially change public understanding of capital punishment by shifting the audience's focus from abstract legal concepts to the raw, visceral humanity of all parties involved—the inmate, the victims’ families, and the agents of the state.
Dead Man Walking details the real-life experiences of Sister Helen Prejean (played by Susan Sarandon), a Catholic nun who becomes the spiritual advisor to Matthew Poncelet (played by Sean Penn), a death row inmate convicted of the rape and murder of two teenagers in Louisiana.
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