This movie is about the victims of a pointless murder - the deceased, herself - this being a young girl; her parents; and another young girl - the daughter of the about-to-be-executed murderer. It also introduces a ridiculous sub-plot as to whether the bereaved parents should adopt the 11 year-old, once she becomes fatherless. I suppose that the producers introduced this element, because if they stuck to the point of the film i.e. whether the victims of a crime "forgave" the murderer, it wouldn't matter, since, in this movie, the State planned to execute the murderer, anyway, no matter who forgave, or did not.
If the bereaved parents adopted the now -orphaned (no mother, either) little girl, you see, that would show "forgiveness". Likewise if they pleaded for clemency on behalf of the killer, as the little girl eloquently put it "If he's dead, I have no father...if he's in prison for life, I still have a father".
The film was further muddled by never satisfactorily explaining why the man murdered the girl, or what on earth induced normally sensible her to accept his offer of a ride from a stranger, in the first place
It was all very absorbing, and watchable, and certainly made me think about Society's attitude to the death penalty. Is it justice, or revenge? Or merely a matter of morale - are we diminished more by the victim's death?...or by the killer's eventual execution? And what if we convict the wrong person? (as seems to be happening a lot, lately), but I couldn't help thinking that this far-fetched scenario should be replaced by the one ongoing at time of writing...the two being tried for the Lockerbie Air Explosion...it would be much more valid a debate on the death-penalty; revenge or justice; "forgiveness", and whatever emotions this interesting, but flawed movie tried to manipulate.
If the bereaved parents adopted the now -orphaned (no mother, either) little girl, you see, that would show "forgiveness". Likewise if they pleaded for clemency on behalf of the killer, as the little girl eloquently put it "If he's dead, I have no father...if he's in prison for life, I still have a father".
The film was further muddled by never satisfactorily explaining why the man murdered the girl, or what on earth induced normally sensible her to accept his offer of a ride from a stranger, in the first place
It was all very absorbing, and watchable, and certainly made me think about Society's attitude to the death penalty. Is it justice, or revenge? Or merely a matter of morale - are we diminished more by the victim's death?...or by the killer's eventual execution? And what if we convict the wrong person? (as seems to be happening a lot, lately), but I couldn't help thinking that this far-fetched scenario should be replaced by the one ongoing at time of writing...the two being tried for the Lockerbie Air Explosion...it would be much more valid a debate on the death-penalty; revenge or justice; "forgiveness", and whatever emotions this interesting, but flawed movie tried to manipulate.