Dead Man Walking is a film from the early nineties. It takes place in New Orleans in the United States. Helen, on of the main characters of the film, lives in New Orleans, in one of the black neighborhoods. She is a middle-aged woman who has chosen to live as a nun in order to help other people, especially poor black people. Through most of her own life, she has seen how black people have been discriminated by white people. When she was a child they had black servants in her home. They slept in a small house next to theirs, and they ate only in the kitchen. The first time she really thought about doing something was when she saw a white bus driver shout an obscenity to a young black woman and afterwards he kicked her out of the bus. One day, she is asked to become pen pal with a death row inmate. She thinks it would fit with the work she is doing in New Orleans, a housing project of poor black residents. After all it's not very far from death row. She writes with this man on death row, Matthew Poncelet, and after a while she visits him in prison.
             Matthew Poncelet was condemned death penalty for a double homicide and rape of a young teenage couple. He is a man about 30 years of age; he has been on the death row for more than 8 years. Helen comes and visits Matthew more and more often, and after a while they become quite close to each other. At first Matthew is very cold and a bit rejecting, but as Helen comes closer to him, he begins to open up. Helen tries to find out what happened in the wood in Louisiana, where the young couple was murdered. Matthew says that he did not murder them, but that it was his "partner" Carl Vitello who killed the young couple. Carl was "only" condemned life sentence. Helen seeks help at a lawyer named Hilton. Together they try to get Matthews case to the appeal court. While they are waiting for the decision, Helen visits Lucille, Matthews mother. Helen really wants to help Matthew and his family, and by ...