Dead Men Talking

Every year in China, around a thousand condemned prisoners are executed, a fact that the Chinese government does very little to hide. The theory is that if people know what the consequences will be of their actions, they will be less likely to turn to crime. Journalist Ding Yu's idea of talking to condemned prisoners shortly before their execution turned out to be a brilliant one - in Henan province, four million people tune in to her TV series each week. Her show has now featured 225 such interviews, and we get to watch some of them in this documentary. In the process, we witness Ding Yu's manner of working and learn something about how the Chinese legal system functions. We also see how Chinese society deals with the complex issues surrounding murder and the death penalty. For the first time, Ding Yu herself is interviewed about how she processes the conversations, both as a professional and as a human being. Despite the many tales of violence - all of which she can still recall - she is sometimes hit hard in her role as observer. "I witness their thoughts before death," she explains. We see her interviewing, in the editing suite, and at editorial meetings where technical matters such as lighting alternate with the personal lives and the intense emotions of the various parties involved. A stark look at perhaps the most bizarre reality show anywhere in the world.