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Summary and Discussion Guide
Dead Man Walking
Directed by Tim Robbins
PolyGram Video, 1996
Length: 122 minutes, Rating: R
Based on a book by the same title by Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J.
Description:
Political activists often cite Dead Man Walking as a film about capital punishment or the story of one religious person's commitment to end the death penalty. But beyond politics or ideology, Dead Man Walking is a film about the redemptive power of love as agape, divine or universal love.
Inspired by the real-life experiences of a Roman Catholic nun, Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon), who spent most of her life working among the poor in Louisiana, Dead Man Walking follows the spiritual journey of two souls whose lives couldn't have been more different: a religious woman and Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn), sentenced to die for the murder of a young couple. Sister Helen receives a letter from Poncelet requesting a visit. She is not quite ready for what the death row inmate asks of her—to be his spiritual adviser. In accepting the challenge, Prejean must overcome her own despair and feeling of inadequacy in the face of Poncelet's unrepentant anguish. She must also face the rage and hatred of the victims' families, who believed that their unbearable loss could only be soothed if they witness Poncelet's execution.
As Sister Helen seeks to help Poncelet find meaning in the last days of his life, she hopes that a morsel of her faith and courage will be transmitted to him, that he will find a measure of honor, grace, and even salvation.
Dead Man Walking was being filmed in the St. Thomas/Irish Channel section of New Orleans when a group of Unitarian Universalists arrived for an orientation and anti-racism walking tour sponsored by the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond. The film provides an excellent context for discussing the relationship between class and the criminal justice system.
To the Facilitator(s):
- A suggested question prior to a 10-minute break: Have you known anyone who was in prison? On death row? Have you ever visited someone in prison?
Discussion questions:
- Sister Helen said that she accepted Matthew's request to be his spiritual adviser because she wanted him to acknowledge his crime and she wanted to help him die with dignity. Does the truth set us free? What did you feel when he confessed—better, worse, indifferent? Why?
- Sister Helen found herself in an awkward position with the families of the victims. What was her responsibility to them?
- In the film, Matthew Poncelet said, "Ain't nobody with money on death row." Was he right or wrong? What evidence do you have to support your claim? If he was right, is our justice system fair? What can be done to make it more fair?
- Poncelet said that he had never known love prior to meeting Sister Helen and that he never expected that he would have to die to find love. Have you ever experienced or witnessed the redemptive power of a love that transcends all? How do you understand this phenomenon?
- Why do you think Mr. Delacroy, the father of one of the victims, came to Poncelet's funeral?
- If you were a religious professional, could you serve as chaplain to a prisoner, especially one on death row? Why or why not?
- If you were a lawyer, could you defend a convicted murder? Why or why not?
- Who should have the moral authority to decide who lives and who dies? Discuss.
- Can a killer be rehabilitated or redeemed? Why or why not? Discuss the reason for your preferred language (rehabilitation vs. redemption); how do you distinguish the two?
- Many people say that criminals cannot be rehabilitated or redeemed. Do you believe this? Why or why not? How do your conscience, values, theology, and belief inform your views about the death penalty?
Closing thoughts: Although set in a religious context, Dead Man Walking is not as much about religion as it is about ministry—being there for those in need, even in the face of evil, even when the shadow side of the human personality seems to prevail. It is the story of one woman's journey into the soul of another person and the redemptive power of love between two extraordinary people—one who had lost touch with what it means to be fully human, and the other, who helps him to remember. Is this not what ministry is—soul meeting soul and moving together toward something greater?
Summary and Discussion Guide: Amistad |
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