Hope and Redemption: The Lena Baker Story tells a devastating tale and serves as an interesting footnote in legal history. The film recounts the true story of Lena Baker, who became the first and only woman to be sentenced to death by electric chair in the state of Georgia. The movie chronicles her life starting as a young girl in rural Georgia at the turn of the 20th century. Later in life, she meets Elliot Arthur a tyrant of a man whom she comes to work for. Their relationship is complicated and often brutal, with Arthur kidnapping Baker on several occasions, keeping her from his family. During one encounter in an attempt to free herself, Baker ends up killing Arthur, setting off the trial and string of events that would eventually lead to her death sentence.
Tichina Arnold (Little Shop of Horrors) takes on the titular role of Lena Baker, a more difficult character to play than one might believe. Baker doesn't have the same bombastic outbursts that powerful characters of the past have had. There is more of a quiet strength and demeanor that is required of the character. Arnold has a command of the role and takes on the persona of Lena Baker better than some of the more prominent actresses in Hollywood might.
Peter Coyote ( E.T.) plays Elliot Arthur, and is the most engaging figure in the film, stealing scenes from Arnold at times. He commands the intensity and brutality that the role requires of him, planting himself firmly as a villainous figure with no room for compassion from the audience. He stands in stark contrast to his son Max, played by Chris Burns (Pandora's Box) who sympathizes with Lena, but seems torn about how he can help her.
The rest of the cast is rounded out by a medley of actors, all relatively able bodied, but with no performances worth noting otherwise. They do an admirable job of supporting Arnold and Coyote in their own roles, and more or less exist to push the story along and provide background for the two leads.
At times the production and melodrama is reminiscent of a made for television film, but writer/director Ralph Wilcox (Megaforce) has far more respect for the material, and the dialogue is much tighter than most Lifetime or Hallmark movies. That being said, I found portions of the film "boring", if that can be said about film that chronicles an individual's life long struggle. Still, the most striking portions of the film come once Baker meets Arthur and begins the complicated relationship with him that eventually leads to her demise. It is easy to understand that the earlier portions of the movie are meant to establish Lena Baker's difficult road, showing how hard life had been well before she ever met Elliot Arthur. While an extraordinary story, in terms of telling a story on film it can become a bit repetitious.
DVD Bonus Features
The DVD features a behinds-the-scenes featurette on the making of the film. While there is no audio commentary or extra scenes, there are biographies of the real-life individuals on whom the movie is based. Finally, there are still photo galleries from the production of the movie, which much like the "original theatrical movie trailer" always seems like a wasted portion of the special features.
"Hope and Redemption: The Lena Baker Story" is on sale January 4, 2011 and is rated PG13. Drama. Directed by Rachel Grady, Ralph Wilcox. Written by Ralph Wilcox. Starring Michael Rooker, Peter Coyote, Tichina Arnold.
