The Execution of Wanda Jean

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The Execution of Wanda Jean

Released Jan 15, 2002

1h 27m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

82%

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11 Reviews

90%

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100+ Ratings

"The Execution of Wanda Jean" chronicles the life-and-death battle of Wanda Jean Allen. By telling one woman's story, the film becomes an unforgettable exploration into one of America's most controversial moral and political dilemmas: the death penalty. "The Execution of Wanda Jean" is an unflinching investigation of the role that poverty, mental health, race, and sexuality play within the criminal justice system.

Jonathan Foreman

New York Post

Compelling but self-undermining documentary.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 12, 2002

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Julie Salamon

New York Times

Offers an unusual opportunity to observe the inequities in the death penalty, not just the inherent immorality but also the haphazard administration of it and public misperception of how the whole thing works.

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 5, 2002

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Michael Miller

Village Voice

As Allen's execution date closes in, the documentary gives an especially poignant portrait of her friendship with the never flagging legal investigator David Presson.

Sep 3, 2002

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Film Threat

Rated: 3/5

Dec 6, 2005

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Apollo Guide

Rated: 60/100

May 13, 2005

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Joshua Tanzer

Offoffoff

You will emerge with a clearer view of how the gears of justice grind on and the death report comes to share airtime alongside the farm report.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 10, 2003

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Audience Member

Compelling story told in a very raw way!!! It was very disturbing to see the death penalty being carried out even though Wanda did do some very bad things to get into the situation she was in, but it was very strange to see it take place!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/22/19

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Audience Member

A very good documentary (other than one sequence that they obviously couldn't film but handled in kind of a cheesy way that undermined the incredibly grim subject matter). Harsh.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Liz Garbus

Director

Wanda Jean Allen

Self

Nancy Abraham

Supervising Producer

Liz Garbus

Producer

Rory Kennedy

Producer

Sheila Nevins

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

"The Execution of Wanda Jean" chronicles the life-and-death battle of Wanda Jean Allen. By telling one woman's story, the film becomes an unforgettable exploration into one of America's most controversial moral and political dilemmas: the death penalty. "The Execution of Wanda Jean" is an unflinching investigation of the role that poverty, mental health, race, and sexuality play within the criminal justice system.

Director: Liz Garbus
Producer: Liz Garbus, Rory Kennedy
Production Co: Moxie Firecracker Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 15, 2002, Original
Release Date (DVD): Nov 29, 2005
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.4K
Runtime: 1h 27m