“This is too beautiful a day to kill anyone.”

In this documentary, Sister Helen Prejean talks about making human contact with inmates on Death Row and her reasons for opposing the death penalty. She wrote a book called Dead Man Walking, bringing her movement to the forefront (especially years later when it was turned into a movie starring Susan Sarandon).

Despite working on this issue for decades, she has only witnessed six executions. The documentary revolves around a potential seventh execution of a man who seems to be innocent.

The documentary beautifully covers Prejean’s commitment to Christ and not thinking of being of a nun as a sacrifice. If you think about the movement to abolish the death penalty, a lot of people will think about Sister Helen Prejean. While I’m so glad for her contribution, she has worked with questionable celebrities like Dr. Phil McGraw and Kim Kardashian. To her credit, Prejean didn’t even know who Kim Kardashian was when a friend recommended her. Also, Prejean only resorts to reaching out to celebrities in order to bring attention to the movement.

As a vegan activist, I have to point out that at one point Sister Helen Prejean was featured eating crawfish. Hopefully Prejean will consider at some point that the idea of not killing should be extended to animals as well. I say this as food for thought and not in judgment or in condemnation for Prejean, who has done more for death penalty abolition that most could hope or dream.

Since Dead Man Walking came out, 11 states have abolished the death penalty. She inspires us all to have the “courage to take one tiny action.”

Rating: 8/10