This is a Very Important Movie. After reading the book, I knew I was going to be in for a roller coaster of emotions. Please make sure you have tissues before you start this movie. For those who aren't familiar with the book, here's what you need to know about Just Mercy. The movie follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson, played by Michael B. Jordan, early in his ground-breaking career in fighting justice. Bryan has decided to start his career in Alabama, defending those who were either not afforded proper legal representation or wrongly convicted. One of his first cases ever goes into meeting Walter McMilian, played by Jamie Foxx, who was sentenced to die for a crime he did not commit. Bryan quickly learns the extent of racist corruption that went into locking Walter away and starts to fight for him despite all the obstacles coming for them both. Like I mentioned in my review, there's something about this particular story that moves you, but it also just makes you mad. Mad at how America became this way. Mad at how Walter's story wasn't unique or even 'surprising' to hear on death row. Mad at all the people who weren't able to have a Bryan Stevenson in their life to help them. Mad that it's a true story. It's a complicated mix of feelings, but it's so necessary to feel. I can't tell if it was the visuals this time, but I felt the disparity of Walter's case and where it takes place so much more than the book somehow. The obliviousness that the people of Monroeville proudly exclaim their connection with To Kill a Mockingbird as a local Black man is rotting in jail for a crime he didn't commit is wild to comprehend. I was a little disappointed they downplayed a lot of the racist aspects that played an integral part in Walter getting arrested, but I understand why they didn't. There's a lot of Black trauma in this film - I mean, we watch a man literally get electrocuted on his final day. I was quite literally sobbing from that point on until the end. It's a lot to handle, and I can't tell you how I would feel if the movie had everything the book described. If you can stand it, I would urge you to watch this. This movie will make you uncomfortable and probably make you cry as it did for me. We need to take the time to know these stories. Bryan Stevenson is well-known for his fight for justice that is still ongoing at the Equal Justice Initiative. We only got to see Walter's story turned into a movie, but the book documents many others' struggles. There's still more work to be done. This movie, this moment in time, is a reminder that our work for justice isn't over yet. The Equal Justice Initiative, also known as the EJI, is a private, non-profit organization that is committed to ending excessive punishment and mass incarceration by challenging economic and racial injustice across the United States, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. If you would like to donate to the EJI, you can do so here.
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