A Lesson Before Dying (1999) - Movie

A Lesson Before Dying (1999)
Grant Wiggins (Don Cheadle) is an African-American schoolteacher in the pre-Civil Rights Movement South who feels conflicted about his status as one of the only educated black men in his area. When Grant learns of Jefferson (Mekhi Phifer), a young black man falsely accused of killing a white shop owner, he reluctantly visits the condemned prisoner. Gradually, the two form a friendship, and Grant tries to remind Jefferson of his value as a human being.

Release Date: 1999

DVD Release Date: January 25th, 2000

PG-13 |1 hr 41 min

Plot Summary

Grant Wiggins (Don Cheadle) is an African-American schoolteacher in the pre-Civil Rights Movement South who feels conflicted about his status as one of the only educated black men in his area. When Grant learns of Jefferson (Mekhi Phifer), a young black man falsely accused of killing a white shop owner, he reluctantly visits the condemned prisoner. Gradually, the two form a friendship, and Grant tries to remind Jefferson of his value as a human being.

Cast: Don Cheadle, Cicely Tyson, Mekhi Phifer, Irma P. Hall, Brent Jennings, Lisa Arrindell Anderson, Frank Hoyt Taylor, Stuart Culpepper

Director: Joseph Sargent

Genres: Drama

Keywords: Underdog, School, Friendship, Prison, 1940s, Emotional