My Days of Mercy 2017 Movie Review

『Unexpected Power of Love Blossoming Amid Conflicting Beliefs』

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: My Days of Mercy (2017)
🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 United States / 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🎞️ Genre: Romantic Drama / Political Message
🗓️ Production & Release: Independent Film
⏳ Runtime: 101 minutes
📢 Director: Tali Shalom Ezer
🖋️ Screenwriter: Tali Shalom Ezer
📺 Platform: Amazon VOD

👩‍💼 Cast: Elliot Page – Lucy Moro
Kate Mara – Mercy Bromage

🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers)

🕊️ Intense First Encounter and the Start of Uneasy Feelings

Lucy carries the personal trauma of having a father on death row and is a death penalty abolition activist, passionately raising her voice against capital punishment. In contrast, Mercy, the daughter of a murdered police officer, holds a pro-death penalty stance. When they meet at a protest in front of the prison, they experience both strong animosity and an unexpected attraction. Their first encounter is cold, yet this complex emotion gradually develops into a subtle human connection.

💬 "Sometimes love finds us where we least expect it."

This line perfectly illustrates how unpredictable their relationship is and how it transcends social barriers.

💞 Clash of Political Beliefs and Personal Emotions

Despite their sharply contrasting ideologies, they continue private conversations in bars and via Skype, genuinely understanding and comforting each other. Lucy struggles between deep anger and love for her father, while Mercy provides her with an unexpected sense of stability. Similarly, Mercy begins to lower her emotional walls in front of Lucy, despite being constrained by her life, beliefs, and family.

💔 True Feelings Emerging Amid Wounds and Misunderstandings

Facing social prejudice and external pressures, they sometimes distance themselves from each other, but ultimately encounter moments where genuine feelings transcend ideology. The scene where Mercy personally seeks out Lucy to reconcile stands as an emotional climax, symbolically showing how love can dissolve conflict.

🦋 Emotional Resonance and Significance

🎨 Direction and Mise-en-Scène

Director Tali Shalom Ezer delivers a strong political message while focusing on depicting the emotional trajectories of the two protagonists in detail. Filming across various spaces—prisons, protest sites, dark bars, and quiet personal spaces—effectively visualizes both the characters’ internal states and societal tensions.

🕯️ Social Tension and Personal Solidarity

The film goes beyond simple romance, exploring how individuals with opposing values and beliefs discover each other’s humanity and love against the backdrop of the highly charged death penalty debate. It prompts reflection on the collision between personal emotions, society, and ideology.

🔍 Historical Context and Director’s Intent

The debate over the death penalty remains a heated topic in real-world society. The director combines this issue with a human love story, suggesting the possibility of reconciliation and understanding beyond division. Additionally, the film focuses on the complex psychology, wounds, and growth of two female characters, offering a more emotionally nuanced approach than conventional political dramas.

🎞️ Comparison with Similar Works

This film aligns thematically with “Blue Is the Warmest Color” and “Disobedience”, which also explore the tension between love and societal constraints, while standing out as a rare example that directly addresses political ideology. It succeeds in interweaving social issues with personal emotions within the queer romance genre.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★