Bringemovies
← Browse Movies
A Lesson Before Dying
TITLE DETAILS

A Lesson Before Dying

1999-05-22 · 101 min · ★ 5.0

Drama

In the 1940s South, an African-American man is wrongly accused of the killing a a white store owner. In his defense, his white attorney equates him with a lowly hog, to indicate that he didn't have the sense to know what he was doing. Nevertheless convicted, he is sentenced to die, but his godmother and the aunt of the local schoolteacher convince school teacher go to the convicted man's cell each day to try to reaffirm to him that he is not an animal but a man with dignity.

Open detail page

Trailers are previews, not full movies.

No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.

Production details

Directors
Joseph Sargent
Production companies
Spanky Pictures, Ellen M. Krass Productions, HBO Films
Countries
United States of America
Status
Released

Top Cast

Don CheadleDon CheadleGrant Wiggins
Cicely TysonCicely TysonTante Lou
Mekhi PhiferMekhi PhiferJefferson
Irma P. HallIrma P. HallMiss Emma
Brent JenningsBrent JenningsReverend Ambrose
Lisa ArrindellLisa ArrindellVivian Baptiste
Dana IveyDana IveyEdna Guidry
Frank Hoyt TaylorFrank Hoyt TaylorSheriff Guidry
Stuart CulpepperHenri Pichot
Von CoulterVon CoulterFarrell Jarreau
Elijah KelleyElijah KelleyClarence
Wynton YatesLouis Washington
Patty MackInez
Jameelah NuriddinIrene
Cierra MecheEstelle
Sonny ShroyerSonny ShroyerDefence Attourney
Clay ChappellDeputy Paul
Sahr NgaujahSahr NgaujahBrother
David KoteBear
Danny NelsonDanny NelsonMr Grope

Title information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.

Where to watch

Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.

Availability not listed for this country.

Recommendations

The House on Carroll Street
★ 5.9
The House on Carroll Street1988Drama

A reporter, fired after refusing to give names to a 1951 House Un-American Activities Committee, takes a part-time job as companion to an old lady. While working she overhears a noisy argument in the neighboring house, being conducted largely in German and involving her HUAC prosecutor. She begins to investigate, enlisting the help of the FBI Agent initially detailed to surveil her.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
★ 7.3
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds1972Drama

Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters Ruth and Matilda are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.

Come Sunday
★ 5.8
Come Sunday2018Drama

Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.

TalhotBlond
★ 6.3
TalhotBlond2012Drama

Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.

Skin
★ 6.4
Skin2009Drama

Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.

Adopt a Highway
★ 6.8
Adopt a Highway2019Drama

Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize – including trying to learn how to use the internet – he finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster behind the fast food restaurant where he works as a dishwasher. Unsure of what to do, and caught between impulses of kindness and panic, Russ soon realizes this could be his chance at redemption.

The Caveman's Valentine
★ 5.9
The Caveman's Valentine2001Drama

Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?

Hurry Sundown
★ 6.4
Hurry Sundown1967Drama

A ruthless Southern opportunist tries to buy his cousin's land, and when thwarted, brings several tragedies to the lives of his loved ones.

Trumbo
★ 7.2
Trumbo2015Drama

The career of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo is halted by a witch hunt in the late 1940s when he defies the anti-communist HUAC committee and is blacklisted.

The River
★ 6.4
The River1984Drama

Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.

Mary
★ 6.3
Mary2024Drama

A miraculous conception. A merciless king. A murderous pursuit. Mary's journey to give birth to Jesus unfolds in this biblical coming-of-age epic.

Mr. Turner
★ 6.5
Mr. Turner2014Drama

Eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner lives his last 25 years with gusto and secretly becomes involved with a seaside landlady, while his faithful housekeeper bears an unrequited love for him.

Jimmy's Hall
★ 6.7
Jimmy's Hall2014Drama

In Depression-era Ireland, Jimmy Gralton returns home after a decade's exile in America. Witnessing the levels of poverty and oppression, his inner activist reawakens and he seeks to reopen the dance hall that led to his deportation.

My Neighbor Adolf
★ 6.5
My Neighbor Adolf2022Drama

South America, 1960. A lonely and grumpy Holocaust survivor convinces himself that his new neighbor is none other than Adolf Hitler. Not being taken seriously, he starts an independent investigation to prove his claim, but when the evidence still appears to be inconclusive, Polsky is forced to engage in a relationship with the enemy in order to obtain irrefutable proof.

All the Way
★ 6.7
All the Way2016Drama

Lyndon B. Johnson's amazing 11-month journey from taking office after JFK's assassination, through the fight to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and his own presidential campaign, culminating on the night LBJ is actually elected to the office – no longer the 'accidental President.'

What Maisie Knew
★ 7.1
What Maisie Knew2013Drama

In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle.

Fatima
★ 7.2
Fatima2020Drama

In 1917, outside the parish of Fátima, Portugal, a 10-year-old girl and her two younger cousins witness multiple visitations of the Virgin Mary, who tells them that only prayer and suffering will bring an end to World War I. As secularist government officials and Church leaders try to force the children to recant their story, word of the sighting spreads across the country, inspiring religious pilgrims to flock to the site in hopes of witnessing a miracle..

Doubt
★ 7.2
Doubt2008Drama

In 1964 Bronx, two Catholic school nuns question the new priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled African-American student.

The Girl in the Book
★ 5.8
The Girl in the Book2015Drama

The story of a young writer's transformation when her past invades her present.

I Saw the Light
★ 6.2
I Saw the Light2016Drama

Singer and songwriter Hank Williams rises to fame in the 1940s, but alcohol abuse and infidelity take a toll on his career and marriage to fellow musician Audrey Mae Williams.

Similar titles

The Boy and the Heron
★ 7.4
The Boy and the Heron2023Drama

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."

The Soul Keeper
★ 6.6
The Soul Keeper2003Drama

Zurich, 1905. Nineteen-year-old Russian Sabina Spielrein is put by her parents in a psychiatric hospital, suffering from a severe form of hysteria and refusing to eat. A compassionate doctor, Carl Gustav Jung, takes her under his care and, for the first time, experiments with the psychoanalytical method of his teacher Sigmund Freud. Thus is born a sweeping story of love and passion, of body and soul, soaring to the utmost heights, but also plunging to the darkest depths of the 20th century.

Aloha Bobby and Rose
★ 6.0
Aloha Bobby and Rose1975Drama

Bobby and Rose, two youngsters who are in love, have to run away from home when they are falsely accused to have committed a robbery and an assassination.

Hidden Agenda
★ 7.0
Hidden Agenda1990Drama

In Ireland, American lawyer Ingrid Jessner and her activist partner, Paul Sullivan, struggle to uncover atrocities committed by the British government against the Northern Irish during the "Troubles." But when Sullivan is assassinated in the streets, Jessner teams up with Peter Kerrigan, a British investigator acting against the will of his own government, and struggles to uncover a conspiracy that may even implicate one of Kerrigan's colleagues.

The Debt
★ 6.2
The Debt2015Drama

Set against the backdrop of an international finance deal in New York and Peru, Oliver's Deal is an intense political drama which explores how far people will go to get what they want.

Ella y yo
★ 4.3
Ella y yo1951Drama

Pedro Muñoz is a womanizer that does not escape one until Irene Garza arrives and makes him to see his luck, while the aunt of her tries to separate them.

That Hopey Changey Thing
Not rated
That Hopey Changey Thing2020Drama

Set on election day, November 2, 2010. Uncle Benjamin’s dog has died, and his nieces and nephew have gathered for dinner in Rhinebeck, New York, to surprise him with a new one. While the polls close, the Apple Family discusses memory, manners, and politics.

Hella W
★ 4.7
Hella W2011Drama

The life of a heroine. The life and work of Hella Wuolijoki. A poet, spy and millionaire, she turned into an internationally acclaimed businesswoman, politician and playwright, who collaborated with Europe's leading writers such as Bertolt Brecht and Maxim Gorky, but faced the harshness of a changing world as the Finnish, Soviet and British secret services focus on her life, family and work.

The Night Watch
★ 5.8
The Night Watch2011Drama

Four Londoners are inseparably linked by their wartime experiences. In a time when the barriers of sexuality and social convention have been broken down, they enjoy a freedom never experienced before.

The Public Woman
★ 6.0
The Public Woman1984Drama

An inexperienced young actress is invited to play a role in a film based on Dostoyevsky's 'The Possessed'. The film director, a Czech immigrant in Paris, takes over her life, and in a short time she is unable to draw the line between acting and reality. She winds up playing a real-life role posing as the dead wife of another Czech immigrant, who is manipulated by the filmmaker into commiting a political assassination.

B
★ 7.1
B2015Drama

July 15, 2013 Luis Barcenas - Old party treasurer was transferred from prison to National Court to testify. Previously, he had denied everything. Today he will tell the truth.

Louisiana Story
★ 6.3
Louisiana Story1948Drama

Cajun boy Alexander Napoleon Ulysses LaTour lives with his family and his beloved pet raccoon in the Louisiana bayou. When his father allows an oil barge to drill on their land, the boy questions the process and its safety.

Blitz
★ 6.0
Blitz2024Drama

In World War II London, nine-year-old George is evacuated to the countryside by his mother, Rita, to escape the bombings. Defiant and determined to return to his family, George embarks on an epic, perilous journey back home as Rita searches for him.

All the Way
★ 6.7
All the Way2016Drama

Lyndon B. Johnson's amazing 11-month journey from taking office after JFK's assassination, through the fight to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and his own presidential campaign, culminating on the night LBJ is actually elected to the office – no longer the 'accidental President.'

The Pigeon Cree
Not rated
The Pigeon Cree1986Drama

A pastel animation produced by Sheila Graber and based upon the short story by Sid Chaplin. Narrated by north east broadcaster Mike Neville the film tells the story of Geordie, a miner, and his love for his pigeons and the trials and tribulations of his passion which is very popular around the region. The face of Sid Chaplin is used as Geordie.

Islands in the Stream
★ 6.5
Islands in the Stream1977Drama

An isolated sculptor is visited by his three sons just before the start of WWII.

Blood Oath
★ 5.7
Blood Oath1990Drama

On an obscure Pacific Island just north of Australia, the Japanese Empire has operated a prisoner of war camp for Australian soldiers. At the close of World War II, the liberated POWs tell a gruesome tale of mass executions of over eight hundred persons as well as torture style killings of downed Australian airmen. In an attempt to bring those responsible to justice, the Australian Army establishes a War Crimes Tribunal to pass judgement on the Japanese men and officers who ran the Ambon camp. In an added twist, a high ranking Japanese admiral is implicated, and politics become involoved with justice as American authorities in Japan lobby for the Admiral's release. Written by Anthony Hughes

Deliverance
Not rated
Deliverance2025Drama

After receiving her last care shipment, a storm-battered hermit must brave an infinite blizzard representing her own mind in a coma to reach her family on the other side...

Dangerous Moonlight
★ 6.8
Dangerous Moonlight1941Drama

Stefan Radetzky, a Polish pilot and famous concert pianist, is hospitalised in England from injuries sustained while in combat, and having lost his memory. As Radetzky plays the piano in a trance-like state, the story moves back in time to war-torn Warsaw. During an air-raid, Radetzky meets American journalist Carole, and there is a mutual attraction. Following the fall of Poland, Radetzky and Irish pilot, Mike, escape to Rumania and then on to America. Radetzky continues his musical career in America and meets up again with Carole.

Great Again
Not rated
Great Again2018Drama

Jordan, a queer non-binary person, visits their conservative family in the country, only to be greeted by their mother sporting a rather unambiguous cap.

Your favorites

Recently viewed

Watch

Choose an authorized server.

Full video from an operator-configured authorized source. Official trailers use a separate player. If a server fails, retry or select another authorized server.

Legal watch options

Official trailer

Trailer preview only. Press Play to start.

Privacy choices

Favorites stay in your browser. Movie images load from TMDb. YouTube trailers contact YouTube only after you allow external media and choose a trailer. Advertising consent, if ads are enabled, is managed separately by the operator’s certified CMP.

Privacy policy

After allowing external media, choose the trailer button to load its player.