Clemency

"Chukwu's film is further proof that great moviemaking is key to bringing audiences into profound, sombre head spaces."

"Clemency's end credits arrive with relief, not because we're unengaged but because, unlike Bernadine, we're finally allowed to breathe."

"Clemency is a staggering achievement in its portrayal of a story that we often ignore out of simple spite or ignorance that humanizes all angles with compassion."

"If Woodard is hoping for her overdue second Oscar nomination after 1983’s “Cross Creek,” she’s got a decent shot with this excruciating character arc. Yet, the actress is even better in the scenes where Bernadine simply gets drunk, even if she still can’t talk about anything but work."

"[A] stark, beautifully composed drama about the implications of the death penalty."

"It's the humanity and compassion invested across all the principal characters that makes this contemplative examination of the terrible weight of taking a life so commanding."

"Chukwu maintains an impressive command over her material, but Woodard herself becomes the movie’s central storyteller."