Sister Helen Prejean has fought the death penalty for decades — but when a new documentary that screened on October 20 at the New Orleans Film Festival turned a delicate eye toward Prejean’s work, it showcased not just her enduring legacy to save the lives of those on Death Row but also provided a novel and intimate portrait of the woman behind the activism.
Prejean is a wondrous subject for director Dominic Sivyer’s project, which first premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2024. Siyver, who co-directed The Masked Scammer (2022) with Yvann Yagchi, leans into Prejean’s on-the-ground life in Louisiana — practicing the saxophone, feeding the birds — and her more visible advocacy against the death penalty. Most familiar might be her memoir, Dead Man Walking — which became the basis of the 1995 Susan Sarandon-lead film — or her work in 2023 with Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma man who maintains he was wrongly accused of murder and whose appeals of his conviction enlisted the help of Kim Kardashian to make his story known.
Prejean herself was in the audience of the October 20 screening, where she spoke about her ongoing work and the documentary itself in a post-screening Q&A session. The audience was packed that afternoon, filled with festival attendees who often erupted with laughter at Prejean’s inquisitive, frank, and comedic demeanor on screen. The crowd gave her a standing ovation as she walked to the front of the theater for the Q&A.
When the documentary highlights these facets of Prejean’s personality — quirky, honest, witty, and clear-eyed — we appreciate the honesty of her work and the true conviction she has in doing it. She, and the film itself, renders a convincing argument against the death penalty, despite the so-described radical stance others view she takes. The documentary also convincingly discredits Prejean’s motivations to help death row inmates like Glossip as self-serving or fame-seeking. Inspiring interviews with Prejean and those who know her — as well as rich archival footage that traces Prejean’s roots from the 80s into the present day — uncover the longevity of belief she has sustained in her work for these inmates, informed but not restricted to the Christian faith that also motivates her.
Prejean details the deaths, she witnessed as a “spiritual counselor” for the people on Death Row. The documentary primarily focuses on her attempt to prevent Glossip’s execution. Glossip, whose execution was stayed by the United States Supreme Court, remains on Death Row without an execution date. The impactful outline of Glossip’s current circumstances at the film’s conclusion renders its call to action immediate— that audiences could exit the theater and have a tangible cause to fight for.
Less impactful are the moments where Kim Kardashian shows up, whether in Facetime videos or news stories. Though her advocacy successfully boosts Prejean’s message and gets Glossip’s name into public and cultural conversations, her inclusion in the documentary frequently feels like a stray from Prejean’s infectious curiosity and humanity. It sucks the air out of those tender moments when Prejean greets the inmates she knows personally, to the way her voice breaks and rises as she honors their memories by talking about them in the present.
Most surprisingly successful, however, is the film’s treatment of the families who believe the death penalty provides closure for their murdered loved ones. Though the highlighted family has a fraught relationship with Prejean, the documentary treats this family and others who think this way with respect and dignity.
The resulting feature is artful and balanced, challenging preconceived ideas of Prejean herself and, more importantly, the system she aims to dismantle.
Review Courtesy of Arleigh Rodgers
Image Courtesy of Universal Studios