96'2013USAdirector: Dawn Portercinematography: Chris Hilleke, Patrick Sheehanediting: Matthew Hamachekproduction: Trilogy Films, Motto Pictures
In 1961, in a landmark judgment in the case of Gideon v. Wainwright, the United States Supreme Court recognized the right to counsel as fundamental to the American system of justice. How does the work of public defenders in the deep South of the United States look more than 50 years later? The portrait of three such attorneys in Dawn Porter's film is far from the image of lawyers seen in Hollywood legal dramas. Only true idealists can put up with the daily struggles, the unimaginable caseloads, the low pay and the long working hours, although even many of them are unable to last even a year. In this context, the words of Jonathan "Rap" Rapping, a charismatic mentor to young lawyers, about a professional calling and justice for all are surprisingly authentic: his charges serve the poorest of the poor who are unable to afford a lawyer of their choice and who, in the United States, end up behind bars in large numbers.
Maciej Nowicki
