Kathryn Bostic’s score on the Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning Clemency finds its power in its minimalism. Directed and written by Chinonye Chukwu, the film dives into the breaking psyche of prison warden Bernadine Williams (unforgettably played by Alfre Woodard). After a botched execution rattles Bernadine, the weight of organizing the death of a Black man who proclaims his innocence begins to take its toll. Bostic’s score subtly amplifies Bernadine’s impossibly deep pain that is a statement on the inhumanity of the death penalty.

Introduction by composer Kathryn Bostic.

Director: Chinonye Chukwu. Cast: Alfre Woodard, Richard Schiff, Danielle Brooks, Aldis Hodge. 2019. 112 minutes. USA. Color. English. DCP. 

All film screenings of Sound Off: A Celebration of Women Composers are available here.