It seems to me that this movie was made as an attack on the death penalty. While I have no problem with the use of the death penalty, I strongly agree with the major contention of the film. That is, once a person is sentenced, by the time they are put to death a lot of time has passed and they may not be the same person--and may no longer deserve to die. In the case of the film, the delay was BRIEF compared to our modern penal system, as the delay looked to be about two years. During this interim time, the convicted man did so much to help those around him that there was little will, except among some idiots in the local government, to execute him. The film is very interesting and gives us insight into life on the isolated island of St. Pierre (a French possession near New Foundland) and because the story, it seems, is based on a true story! I liked the film because it dared to be different, had something to say and featured excellent acting and dialog--and this combination definitely doesn't happen very often.