In 2000, Illinois Gov. George Ryan ordered a moratorium on the death penalty after university students uncovered new evidence proving the innocence of 13 men on death row. This documentary follows the hearings held by a panel Ryan appointed to study the issue and interviews activists, scholars and prisoners, while examining the history of the American death penalty. As Ryan's time in office comes to an end, he must decide what steps to take to reform the judicial system.
Direction
Kirsten Johnson's patient, devastating observational eye.
Writing
Testimony that needs no dramatic embellishment.
Director
Kirsten Johnson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Kirsten Johnson's first feature, years before her acclaimed 'Cameraperson' and 'Dick Johnson Is Dead.' Her sister's cinematography work would later inform her own celebrated documentary career.
Ryan's 2003 commutation of all Illinois death sentences was the largest blanket clemency in modern U.S. history — and essentially ended his political life. He later served prison time for unrelated corruption charges, complicating his legacy as a 'death penalty hero.'
US
