This post is part of Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association‘s Amplify Black Neighbors post series happening throughout June 2020. For more information, click here.

Week 2 Featured Film: Just Mercy

Partial Description from JustMercyFilm.com: “Just Mercy” is based on the powerful and thought-provoking true story of young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the main testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings, as well as overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds—and the system—stacked against them.

(Click here to read the full synopsis.)

Note from BDNA: Just Mercy is available free through June via the official site, or on your favorite streaming service.