Proponents of the death penalty say that when killing a person does not require compensation, the law is defending something.
Opponents of the death penalty say that there is a miscarriage of justice and that killing the wrong person will never have a chance to correct it.
There makes sense on both sides, and today I want to talk about an extremely marginal profession, the executioner.
The Shepherd and the Butcher
Shepherdsand Butchers
The film is the latest masterpiece by renowned South African director Oliver Shumiz and won the Audience Choice Award in the Panorama Section of the 66th Berlin Film Festival.
The story is set in South Africa in 1987.
One rainy night, Lyon, a 19-year-old prison guard, drove his pickup truck to his way home when a van nearly collided with him.
Inside the van were 7 black footballers.
Leon chased the van and forced it to a remote quarry called Magazine Ridge.
The athletes "clicked" and pulled the car door down.
Leon shot them directly and killed them with 13 bullets and lined up their bodies.
The teenager was silent about the reason for the shooting.
Because of the extremely bad nature of the case, it immediately aroused the indignation of the crowd.
It is hoped that the murderer will be sentenced to death as soon as possible to appease the pain of the victim's family.
However, according to the judicial process, even the most heinous bad people also have the right to a defense.
With no one willing to claim this difficult task, John, a human rights lawyer who supports the abolition of the death penalty, is entrusted by a friend to defend the juvenile.
Leon didn't buy John's opening remarks.
John reminds Leon that as a former prison guard, you should know what awaits you, and ask the other guards when you go back to the cell what will happen in the death row cell.
Lyon said that he worked as a prison guard in the death row of the highest-security prison 2 years ago and was on duty on the gallows, of course, knowing what would happen there.
And the case is originally strange.
Leon had no holidays with the seven black men, never masked, and strangely enough, after the shooting, the bodies were lined up in a neat row, but afterwards he claimed that he did not remember anything.
Moreover, Leon has never had a previous conviction, once served as a class president in school, is a devout believer, and has nothing to do with the murderer who kills people without blinking an eye.
It is too far-fetched to say that it is a road rage attack and a sudden killing.
As the time to leave the courtroom drew nearer, the lawyer anxiously wondered why Leon had done so.
But Leon was just silent without saying a word.
That's until John pulls out a roster that lists the names of all those who were hanged last year, for a total of 164 people.
The execution of all the people above, Lyon was involved.
The prison guards also had to strip the prisoners of their clothes, wash the bodies, and toss a coin to decide who would bury them.
On the day of the crime, Leon was the one who threw the body.
There was a small accident during the transport, and the driver who had been driving the car fled. He could dispose of the bodies alone and bury them one by one.
On the drive back, Lyon was exhausted.
It just so happened that this stormy night, he almost collided with another minibus, which aroused his anger.
So, the minibus was forced to a closed ammunition hill and stopped.
When the door of the minibus was "snapped open", at that moment, Leon seemed to hear the sound of the movable board door of the gallows opening.
He quickly pulled out his gun and aimed it almost subconsciously at the football club members who got out of the car.
13 shots were fired and 7 people fell.
Then he walked over and lined up the bodies one by one in the form of the prison.
That year, at the age of 19, he went from shepherd to butcher.
As a result of the trial, Lyon was sentenced to 20 years in prison and treated by a state-appointed psychologist during his sentence.
Unexpectedly, the film is not fictional, but based on a real case that shocked South Africa.
The case also had a profound impact on South African penalties.
After executing 4,200 prisoners, South Africa announced a temporary suspension of executions.
Until Mandela came to power, it was completely abolished.
We use executioners as instruments of murder, but forget that they also have humanity.
While killing criminals, they are also committing violence against them.
Most people are fighting for or against the death penalty, but they haven't paid attention to this group.
Fortunately, the movie will end, but the thinking will not stop.