Last Day of Freedom A Man Reflects on His Brother's Crime and Imprisonment
Created from over 32,000 hand-drawn images, this Oscar-nominated animated documentary follows Bill as he struggles with a decision to stand by his brother, a Veteran returning from war who faces racism, criminal charges, and ultimately the death penalty.
The film is a portrait of a man at the nexus of the most pressing social issues of our day: racial bias, veteran's rights, mental health care and criminal justice.
Nominated for Best Documentary, Short Subject at the Academy Awards. Winner of Best Short from the International Documentary Association.
"A searing study of our most pressing social issues." - Indiewire
"A compelling story, and an intensely intimate one." - Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film
Running Time
31 mins
Year
2015
Kanopy ID
2195197
Filmmakers
Languages
Subjects
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Comments (2)
The use of animation in documentary films is a fascinating topic. The renderings here, tho beautiful, are far from representationally perfect, as if to admit that some realities are just too complex, too difficult to even attempt to reproduce "realistically." The traumas presented in LAST DAY ...Read more
The use of animation in documentary films is a fascinating topic. The renderings here, tho beautiful, are far from representationally perfect, as if to admit that some realities are just too complex, too difficult to even attempt to reproduce "realistically." The traumas presented in LAST DAY OF FREEDOM are indeed the result of a failure, perhaps in fate, certainly in the political/social system to do this man justice. The animation here reproduces this failure in a way that is haunting, beautiful, and oh so significant. An important documentary that explores the intersections of racism and mental illness and how they affect criminal justice, this astounding short is not one you'll soon forget.
Read lessThis is a beautifully rendered and incredibly moving film. I went in thinking that I knew where it was going and what it was going to be, but it challenged and moved me in ways I couldn't have anticipated.