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After Innocence
Directed by: Jessica Sanders
Starring: Wilton Dedge
Genre:
Documentary
Run Time: 95
min.
Release Date:
January 2005
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
A telling documentary about
the failings of criminal investigative law in the U.S., AFTER
INNOCENCE is a poignant, if somewhat stilted, telling of the lives
of men who’ve been wrongfully imprisoned for years and years (sometimes
decades and decades) only to be released after advances in DNA evidence
free them.
The documentary follows only men through this process, most of them
having been identified during their trial by a person who is wrong about
them. Not really a surprise, as eyewitness identification is now being
proven to be one of the least accurate ways in which to prosecute
someone.
The film begins and ends with its focus on Wilton Dedge in Brevard
County, Florida. Sentenced to life in prison for sexual battery and
burglary, Dedge has steadfastly commented on his innocence since his
imprisonment some 22 years earlier. Never having given up, Dedge has the
physical evidence collected from his crime sent to a forensic lab for
DNA study. By the end of the film, we learn that none of it matches
Dedge and he is sure to be released. But the prosecutors from the
District Attorney’s office are reluctant to let him go. Why?
That’s the biggest stickler in the entire film. Even when faced with
overwhelming evidence of innocence, our supposed community service men
and women are unwilling to admit their errors. That’s very frustrating
and shown quite well.
The problem with the documentary, though, is that it never really shows
the “other side.” In other words, the D.A.’s perspective. Perhaps the
D.A.’s didn’t want to be filmed. But we’re never told either way. Only
once do we ever see a prosecutor discussing DNA cases, and that is very
short indeed. Thus, this gives the After Innocence a very
lopsided/one-sided viewpoint. If the D.A.’s didn’t want to be filmed, I
would’ve liked to have seen the film-makers attempting to get in to see
them only to be rebuked and booted out. Again, we don’t know if this
happened or if the film-makers ever tried to get the other side.
The other notable portion to the film is that prison affects these men
very differently. Vincent Moto seems to have lost his willingness to
better himself, while Herman Atkins now has a Ph.D in psychology. Dennis
Maher and Nick Yarris seem to have mental health problems thanks to
their long and wrongful imprisonment, each appearing either lackluster
about life or having an inflated ego about their own importance rather
than the importance of the situation itself.
Regardless, After Innocence is informative in its own, one-sided
way. Just make sure you check out both sides before deciding on its
entire significance.
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Image from After Innocence
DVD cost: $21.95
Purchase:
Amazon.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
Won the Special Jury Prize
for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005.
Movie Quote: "Now
you can live again."
Other Actors/Actresses
from After Innocence
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