When walking in to see Conviction, we knew we were most likely going to be seeing an Oscar contender. However, we were also hoping we would be seeing Sam Rockwell in something that the Academy would notice him for, since they so boldly decided to snub his fantastic performance in the one man show that was Moon last year. Although he was fantastic in his role as the “wrongfully” convicted Kenny Waters, it was Hilary Swank as his sister Betty Anne Waters that really blew everyone out of the water. Don’t be surprised if you see her name as a nominee this year for Best Actress.
There were other great performances from supporting roles such as Juliette Lewis as the drugged out witness who had a full can of self esteem despite missing several teeth. Also worth noticing was the role of Minnie Driver as Betty’s friend, Abra Rice. Her role here, reminded me of her role in Good Will Hunting, which seemed to put her on the Hollywood map.
Despite all the great performances, it is the fantastic relationship between Betty and Kenny as brother and sister that really bonds us to the film. Not only do we see the two conversing and interacting in the present, but the film is filled with back story of the two as children and the bond that was set in stone from a very young age. This is definitely a film worth seeing this year, it will pull at all the right heart strings and leave you talking with your friends afterward. Check out our video review below for more about the film and what we thought.
by Angela Davis and Ryan Davis
