BEYOND CONVICTION

Victims of violent crime confronting their perpetrators is the subject of Rachel Libert's Beyond Conviction. The emotional documentary tells actually three separate stories, beginning with the case Lyndy Kelley who was violently raped by her brother in 1990. Years after his conviction and incarceration, Kelley confronted her brother who is being held in a Pennsylvania prison. The state began a program in 1998 to allow victims or victims' families to obtain answers, while offenders are allowed to express themselves after years of reflection. The idea is to allow both parties to find a closure and, hopefully, redemption. Originally, Libert had followed six separate stories, but settled on three for the film. Not surprisingly, anger and tension to varying degrees are evident in all stories. (Brian Brooks)