Saint Judy

This review may contain spoilers!

 

This film is an inspired true story with a cast that really lifts this feature up into something worthy to watch. I would give Saint Judy a 7.5/10.

 

Saint Judy is a biopic about Judy Wood, a famous immigration lawyer who championed for reform in the American laws of asylum in defense of women. I found this to be really engaging because of the lead character, Judy Wood, and the struggle she and her client went through in order to achieve an asylum verdict within the US court system. From the moment we are introduced to Judy she becomes a figure who seeks out the best in others and fights for that quality, doing good no matter what the odds against may be. She has this ability to not give up on a case, to never quit no matter what needs to be sacrificed, which the film weighs up both in a positive and negative light. The feature shows an incredible insightful, if not idealised version of what the US immigration system can look like and how some migrants are severely impacted by both the system and the history of the country they have fled. The focal point of the film highlights the story of a woman who attempted to empower women in her village through a demonstration, but was attacked, arrested and abused for her efforts. The struggle of getting the US legal system to recognise this woman as a political victim seeking asylum and not merely a woman seeking asylum is such a gripping point of tension that I found myself hooked almost constantly. The cinematography for Saint Judy had this subtle and stylistic way of framing that I thought spoke highly of the director's style; there were these awe-inspiring shots of framing Judy throughout the I.C.E. detention city or in her own offices that was incredibly powerful.

 

Michelle Monaghan, who played Judy Wood, is an amazing protagonist for this feature; Monaghan has this compelling strength and delivery that makes her ability to fight through persuasion very convincing. Leem Lubany, who played Asefa, plays a complex character who has to endure a number of harrowing events throughout the feature; I think Lubany presented a role who was able to rebuild herself and find her strength remarkably well. Common, who played Benjamin Adebayo, has this restrained and respectful approach to being a Government-migration lawyer that I found really sincere; Common's ability to present a strong delivery around the meaning of how I.C.E. has changed over the years was an impactful scene. Alfre Woodard, who played Judge Benton, presents such a measured, neutral judge figure brilliantly; I admire how Woodard crafted a role who could talk to both sides of a debate with respect and intelligence. Mykelti Williamson, who played Dikembe Mustafa, was a role that had a tendency towards stealing the show a bit; Williamson had this stoic approach towards Monaghan at first which grew and changed into kind-hearted friendship as the film went along. Kevin Chapman, who played Officer King, was a stern overbearing figure that came across as a figure of duty and an antagonist at times; Chapman had this sort of callous indifference towards those he detained that shone a light on an aspect of I.C.E. worth highlighting.

 

However, the best performance came from Alfred Molina, who played Ray Hernandez. This grizzled legal veteran is quite a gripping character when we first meet him and he really throws us (and the protagonist) into the harsh, indifferent world of immigration law. Molina embodies a legal practitioner who is renowned for his practice and his ability to perform, but he has become completely detached from the needs of his clients. This is a figure who once fought for something but has buckled under financial pressure and the need to provide for his family to become someone who has lot their interest and so clashes with Judy (Monaghan) on a regular basis. Watching Molina steadily pull his role back by finding inspiration in the journey of Judy Wood, eventually supporting her and doing better legal work himself is a nice well-rounded touch that I appreciated. 

Saint Judy is this fantastic story with a great struggle and interesting lead role at its heart, but there are a number of moments in which the writer seems at odds with matching up to what they are writing. There's a lot of dialogue moments in which the moral is roughly pushed in rather than subtly inserted, more than that the film tends to have this light delivery that always posits the idea everything will turn out for the best. Judy Wood is at times held up to be like a white messiah surrounded by immigrants who rely and depend on her more than anything; in one scene Wood is depicted as dreaming of herself walking past corridor after corridor of barred migrants who are pleading her to help them. There is a sense that Judy truly can do no wrong and lifts these people up simply by championing for them. The film isn't always like this, but when the film doesn't know how to approach certain complex scenes this is the path it takes instead of examining events with some scrutiny. The editing for the feature can either set a slow pace or chops up scenes in a very awkward way, often disrupting the flow of a nice camera angle to swiftly cut away to an alternate option. The soundtrack for the film feels confusing at the best of times with old tracks that kill the tone or a sudden blend of modern pop and hip hop which sets a confusing contrast.

Ben Schnetzer, who played Parker, leaned a little too strongly into his character's traits of being a rich kid cruising off his rich father's lifestyle for my liking; Schnetzer always came across as quite an indifferent role who never really learned or grew as the feature went along. Gabriel Bateman, who played Alex Wood, is quite a generic take of a kid living through a divorce in a film; the warm connection with central parent figure turning bad and then turning good again in the final act was a bit obvious for my taste. Waleed Zuaiter, who played Omar, was quite a muted role who existed to prop up the story of Asefa; however, because Lubany did such a strong job it felt like Zuaiter was this unnecessary link in that narrative. Peter Krause, who played Matthew, was the completely severe ex who entered the film far too late; Krause presented a figure who seemed nothing but hostile in terms of his role's personality and then had a complete 180 by the final scene for absolutely no reason.