My Days of Mercy

A well-meaning but increasingly contrived melodrama that is hardly believable or meaningful.

The effervescent chemistry between the two leads [saves] it from Sundance-y overearnestness.

Contrived yet interesting and undeniably erotic, it's a queer story in both senses.

Despite the peculiarity of mixing and issue-oriented political film with an LGBT coming-of-age story, it is ultimately a very powerful, emotional, and universal story.

The movie doesn't buckle under the weight of its ambitions, and in straining to find the light it ends up engaging and compelling - even if it is overly complex.

Produced as a vehicle for co-starring friends Ellen Page and Kate Mara, "Mercy" serves them both well, with critical support likely to help the film find an audience despite its challenging themes.

As heavy as it sounds, there’s a quiet intensity in the frames, which are teeming with raw Midwestern ordinary-ness on full display.

You do care about the couple, but you can't help but spend the movie shaking your head about how alien the US penal system is. But the film does little to either pluck at your heart-strings or ignite your outrage.

This means that the death penalty parts are actually much better than the rom-com ones, and the disparity leads to some tonally awkward mid-scene transitions between the two.

A kind romance with a stellar turn by Ellen Page