Director Of 'Just Mercy' Depicts Characters 'In All Of Their Complexities'

'Bryan Stevenson's bestselling book Just Mercy may not seem like the most obvious candidate for a splashy Hollywood movie adaptation. It's about the founding of a not-for-profit advocacy organization that helps low-income people who were denied fair trials. And the plot follows the grueling legal work necessary to appeal the sentences of convicted murderers on Alabama's death row, not all of whom are wrongly accused. But the book resonated with Destin Daniel Cretton, who co-wrote the screenplay and directed the $25 million picture, which came out in limited release on Christmas and just in time for the Oscars. Cretton is part of a generation of Asian American directors making significant inroads into Hollywood.' -- All Things Considered