Dead Man Walking (1995)

Dead man walking creates enormous food for thought in relation to our ideologies and values. This film leaves you not only questioning the ideas of religion and basic morals, but it tests how we, as an audience, are manipulated to create an emotive response. Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn) was brought up with a poor background and less advantaged in comparison to others. He was a son of a loving mother, a big brother to three younger siblings and a boy who grew up with an absent father, who died when Matt was only 14. However, Matthew was also a murderer and rapist facing the charge of death at Louisiana Penitentiary state. Through the character of Sister Helen (Susan Sarandon), the audience is taken on a journey of discovery, as we learn the meaning of redemption and what some of the issues are that come with being human. This movie strips away the basic religious idea's of "An eye for an eye" and scratches deeper under this issue, revealing someone who is even a murderer as a person. Sean Penn delivers his role of Matthew at first as cold and remorseless, but as the audience come to learn more about him, he grows to become regretful and full of anguish for the dark deeds that he had committed. Through the excellent acting of Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen, we are compelled to feel attached towards the close bond and relationship with Matt and Helen. This is deeply expressed through the ending scene where sister Helen says, "I want your last face you see to be the face of love". If you are in need of a good cry, a deep thought provoking topic and some seriously moving acting, then this is the film for you.