TEXT: REBEKAH HEBENTON
FILM ust Mercy is a pow werful new film that follo ows the incredible true sto ory of Bryan Stevenson, a new w Harvard law graduate who head ds to Alabama to help people who’ve been wrongly convicted. His first case is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx)), who’s been sitting on death row for six years after being sentenced to death for a 1986 murder he didn’t commit. Over the next few years the pair workk together to fight institutional raccism in the legal system and death h threats to free an innocent man. Jamie says his entire career led to this role. “It was an incredible project and it’s personal. It was person nal for me because my father wass placed in jail for $25 worth of illegal substances for seven ye ears.” Michael B Jordan, wh ho portrays the real-life lawyer, also felt the weight of telling this story. “For me, this was very intimidating at first… I felt like I had a great deal of pressure to get it right.” At its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, it received an eightminute standing ovation from
the crowd, an overwhelming experience for the cast and crew that brought many of them to tears. In the audience was the real Bryan Stevenson, now 60 and still a lawyer. “Being in a space like this and seeing people respond to it and get it gives me a great deal of hope,” he said.
REVIEWS
decades, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sadly doesn’t live up to what it should be. After Emperor Palpatine is discovered to be still alive, our heroes Rey, Finn and Poe must race against time to find and defeat the Sith lord and save the universe. Highlights include a plethora of cameos from beloved characters, including some in ghostly form, as well as the performances of Daisy Ridley as Rey and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. The rest is unfortunately underwhelming. Rebekah Hebenton
FILM
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI RATING M Expectations are always high for the final film of a series, but maybe none so much as the end of a saga that has spanned
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QUALITY A QUEST FOR R JU JUSTICE USTICE MAKES FOR COMPELLING VIEWING Just Mercy is in cinemas now.
AAABB
New Zealand Woman’s Weekly
MAKEOVER MY DAY The Family Gorgeous, one of the UK’s most fabulous drag clans, heads on a road trip across Britain, transforming those who need help by bringing out drag-enhanced versions of themselves. Led by Cheddar Gorgeous, the queens make over all kinds of people, from a small-town farmer to a mum of six, all with the aim of unlocking their lost confidence. “It’s actually about how the process of standing out can help reveal something about you that maybe you didn’t know,” says Cheddar.
TV
Drag SOS, TVNZ 1, Tuesdays, 9.15pm.
