The careers of Hollywood stars Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins were often overshadowed by their political activism, best exemplified by their call at the 1993 Oscars for support for Haitian Aids victims interned at the Guantanamo Bay military base.
This infuriated the ceremony’s producers to the extent that they were banned from attending again (although Sarandon was present to collect the Best Actress award three years later).
Yet the former off-screen couple put their social activism to good use in their adaptation of Sister Helen Prejean’s powerful 1993 memoir, Dead Man Walking, detailing the nun’s profound and emotional experiences as spiritual adviser to a couple of inmates on death row.
It was a book that Sarandon, given her proclivity for social issues, was immediately interested in. After hectoring Robbins, he finally agreed to adapt it for the screen, co-produce and direct it.
Sarandon of course starred as Sr Helen, and Sean Penn co-starred as Matthew Poncelet, a fictional character based on the real convicts Prejean worked with.
The final result was not, as many would have expected from the liberal-minded protagonists, a rallying and militant cry against the death penalty.
It is, on the contrary, a balanced look at this very divisive issue, giving equal time to victims, their families and the perpetrators; overall presenting a genuinely heartfelt and human case in the capital punishment debate.
Robbins captures the compassionate tone of Prejean’s book perfectly. Dead Man Walking boasts a rare quality – at its heart is a powerful subject tackled in a sensitive and sensible manner.
Poncelet’s crimes are never glossed over – on the contrary, they are presented in a stark and harrowing way, giving no doubt to the viewer as to his guilt, but he is nevertheless presented as human being who has committed an atrocious act but never a monster.
The abject poverty and rampant crime that surrounded him as he was growing up are presented as a rationale for his behaviour, yet his own personal responsibility for his reprehensible actions are always called into account.
Sr Prejean, on the other hand, is no idealistic do-gooder. This is a woman brought up in a loving middle-class family living in an affluent all-white neighbourhood, but her vocation is strong.
On becoming a nun she left behind her comfortable background to work with the poor, discovering a purpose to her vocation in her work with convicted killers. She exposes the true meaning of Christian love, compassion and, ultimately, redemption.
This is an ordinary woman in an extraordinary place, revealing inordinate strength of nerve and spirit. She never shies away from the horrors she sees, never attempts to justify the crimes or the perpetrator’s actions, and she successfully negotiates the fine line between supporting the perpetrators and offering solace to the victim’s families – here portrayed as innocent and grieving human beings, never vengeful or out for blood.
In Penn and Sarandon, Robbins found the perfect performers. Penn, quite a maverick himself, was a perfect casting choice; his narrow, angry eyes, quick jittery movements, elaborate hairstyle and cocksure attitude the perfect personification of a man filled with hate and vitriol.
At no point does he play for sympathy. On the contrary, he is a detestable person probably deserving of the horrific fate awaiting him; yet he slowly cracks under the pressure of Sr Helen’s love and understanding.
Sarandon, shedding her glamorous, sexy persona, gives a quietly restrained performance; a woman out of her depth whose profound faith in God, capacity to love and belief in the human spirit overcomes all barriers.
In their performances, the profound relationship between these two completely disparate people proves the foundations of a thought-provoking, emotional, intelligent film.
Dead Man Walking was released in the US at the end of December 1995 to remarkable critical acclaim, and, considering its deep subject matter, relative commercial success.
The film went on to be nominated for four Academy Awards, with Sarandon finally winning the Best Actress award (after four previous nominations) for her remarkable performance.
It remains one of cinema’s most compelling films to tackle moral and social issues, Roger Ebert writing that “this film ennobles filmmaking. That is exactly what it does. It demonstrates how a movie can confront a grave and controversial issue in our society and see it fairly, from all sides, not take any shortcuts, and move the audience to a great emotional experience without unfair manipulation.”