Scooter Briody 

Just Mercy is a 2019 film starring Michael B Jordan and Jamie Foxx, based on the true story of lawyer Bryan Stevenson and his crusade to get the innocent Walter McMillian released from death row. The film starts with McMillian being wrongfully arrested by the police, then goes on to show us Bryan’s choice to become a death row defender after connecting with a death row inmate the same age as him. Despite the considerable injustices Bryan is facing, he manages to fight back against the system and reunite Walter with his family. 

In Just Mercy, visual symbolism is used to compare black families with white families and illustrate the ways in which, despite racial and class differences, we are all still ultimately people. When Bryan first drives into Alabama, we are shown the view of the wealthy white people’s houses as he passes by. Later, when he goes to visit McMillian’s family, we are shown a parallel shot of the poor run-down houses in Walter’ family neighborhood. However, despite the differences in wealth, we can still see children playing and families relaxing in both shots. Similar comparisons are made throughout the film, such as when Bryan likens Walter’s family to that of the man whose testimony put Walter in prison. These comparisons demonstrate the antiracist themes of the film by showing the fundamental similarities between all human beings and what we value.  

Throughout the film, Bryan is framed across the table from various different people in order to symbolize the work he must do to get people to trust him. Both characters like Tommy who perpetuate the system and characters like Walter within the system hold him at arm’s length, skeptical of his ideals. When Bryan meets with Walter’s family for the first time, they all crowd around the small table where he sits to make his case to them. Over the course of the film, we watch Bryan bring various characters over to his “side”, with the visual framing reflecting this. By the end of the film Walter and Bryan both sit on the same side together, fighting for a united cause. Interestingly, the character of Eva is never framed as having to be convinced by Bryan, instead being framed on the same “side” as him from the very beginning. 

Just Mercy is a film that wishes to educate about the racial injustices inherent to the US prison system, particularly in the south. Despite taking place in the late 80s, the characters undergo levels of discrimination which modern audiences might associate more with the time period of To Kill a Mockingbird. By bringing these issues to the forefront, Just Mercy forces its audience to acknowledge these injustices, which are still alive in our current system. In terms of the average Social Issue film, Just Mercy is relevantly conventional in its delivery, but this conventionality serves its grounded narrative well. 

Just Mercy. dir. Destin Daniel Cretton (2019); 136mins