Triumph in Tribulation

Betty Anne Water (Hillary Swank) and Kenneth Water (Sam Rockwell) are close knit siblings. Having grown up in a broken family, they cling to each other through thick and thin. Though Kenneth is a known troublemaker in the Massachusetts neighbourhood they live in, Betty supports him. Kenneth is taken in by the police for the murder of a neighbour and let off after questioning. Three years later, he is arrested for the same charge. Based on a shoddy blood sample and a hasty trial, he is imprisoned for life without parole. Betty realises Kenny is not eligible for any further legal help from the government. They cannot afford a private lawyer. As a result, Betty decides to study law and help her brother who has been wrongfully convicted. Though a long-drawn process, Betty takes the challenge head on and becomes a lawyer at the cost of separating from her husband and through financial stress. After 18 long years and with the help of a lawyer friend, Betty is able to establish that the DNA in the blood sample was not Kenneth’s. The investigation was marred by wrong testimony of witnesses who were coerced to lie by the investigation cop in charge. As a result, Kenneth walks free. An emotionally legal movie.

The latest novel from award winning author philanthropist James Patterson revolves around twin murders in a Mississippi town which is presumed racially motivated. When a young woman from an upper crust family is murdered, the elite are up in arms. Ruby Bozarth is a lawyer new to Mississippi, its elite society and legal club. Young and inexperienced, Ruby is assigned to defend the case of the college football star who is accused of murder. When a second murder occurs, Ruby is convinced both murders are interrelated and thus begins investigating them trusting no one in the process as everyone is divided deep down by colour. Her findings rattle entire Mississippi.

Based on a true story of Central Park Jogger’s case in New York, this was a miniseries streamed on Netflix.    

In April 1989, a group of young African American / Hispanic Americans were running amok destroying property and harassing, robbing and beating up joggers and others in and around Central Park, New York. A young (white) woman who was jogging was found around midnight – sexually assaulted and severally beaten up almost to death. This led to the immediate arrest of juvenile boys of colour. The boys were swiftly convicted and imprisoned from 5 years to 15 years. They were forced to confess to the crime. This led to widespread outrage as a blatant case of racial discrimination. In jail one of the convicted boys encountered another prison inmate Matias Reyes, a serial rapist and murderer. It was in 2002 that he when met Reyes again, that Reyes decided to confess. Out of jail when the Jogger’s Park incident occurred, Reyes was the sole perpetrator of the assault and rape on the woman jogger. He took advantage of the group roaming around the park and committed the crime. His chance encounters with one of the convicted boys made him feel guilty and confess. As a result, the conviction / imprisonment of the five young men were vacated. In 2003, they file a case against New York and were awarded millions of dollars in settlement.      

A hard-hitting miniseries which received critical acclaim and several prestigious awards.