Christmas week may seem an unusual time to release a pair of movies that largely take place on death row. But the folks behind “Just Mercy” and “Clemency” hope the holiday spirit will be open-hearted, and that the timing is, in fact, appropriate.
Two feature films round out a year where various media shed light on the plight of prisoners, especially those wrongfully convicted or harshly sentenced.
“Clemency,” which opens Friday, stars Alfre Woodard as a warden who witnesses two executions, leading to a personal crisis of conscience.
In “Just Mercy,” opening Christmas Day,” Michael B. Jordan stars in the true story of Harvard graduate Bryan Stevenson, who has spent decades fighting for the exoneration of erroneously charged prisoners.