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My Days of Mercy (2017) movie poster

Characters & Themes

My Days of Mercy (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 108 mins · English
JustWatch #3,386 16
Directed by
Tali Shalom-Ezer
Starring
Elliot Page, Charlie Shotwell, Kate Mara, Brian Geraghty, Beau Knapp, Amy Seimetz

The heart takes no sides The daughter of a man on death row falls in love with a woman on the opposing side of her family’s political cause.

On this page (9)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (5)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (3)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like My Days of Mercy
  8. 8 Categories
  9. 9 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch My Days of Mercy (2017)

Where can you watch My Days of Mercy? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Darkroom, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channels and Hoopla: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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5 main characters · contains spoilers

My Days of Mercy Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of My Days of Mercy (2017), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Lucy Moro (Elliot Page)

    Lucy is fiercely principled and emotionally torn, balancing anti-death penalty activism with a family fractured by potential wrongful conviction. She drives the mobile-life rhythm of the journey and forms a deep connection with Mercy, risking personal safety for the cause. Her stubborn hope and willingness to confront painful truths propel much of the movie’s emotional arc.

    • 🎭 Protagonist
    • 🕊️ Idealistic
    • 💔 Torn loyalties
  • Mercy Bromage (Kate Mara)

    Mercy is a lawyer linked to the police through her father, navigating professional duty with personal vulnerability. She remains principled and capable of warmth, even as her relationship with Lucy complicates her life and professional responsibilities. Her connection with Lucy becomes a crucible for loyalties and desires amid a high-stakes public case.

    • 🎭 Protagonist
    • 🗽 Complex
    • ❤️ Forbidden romance
  • Simon Moro (Elias Koteas)

    Simon is the man on death row around whom the sisters’ mission centers. He embodies contested truth and the looming question of innocence, shaping the legal strategies and emotional stakes for Lucy and Martha. His fate remains a constant pressure that tests the family’s resolve.

    • ⚖️ Central figure
    • 🧭 Motivating force
    • 🕯️ Innocence in doubt
  • Martha Moro (Amy Seimetz)

    Martha is the determined sister who relentlessly pursues Simon’s innocence and coordinates legal efforts. She anchors the family’s resilience and pushes for a fresh start, even as the case remains unresolved. Her drive reflects both devotion and pragmatism in the face of long odds.

    • 🎭 Sibling
    • 🗳️ Activist
    • 💪 Determined
  • Benjamin Moro (Charlie Shotwell)

    Ben is the 10-year-old brother whose future hinges on the adults around him. He travels with the sisters in the mobile home, serving as a poignant reminder of the human cost behind the legal battle. His presence grounds the family’s struggle in everyday vulnerability and care.

    • 👶 Child
    • 🧭 Innocent
    • 🧸 Family anchor

Last updated: February 17, 2026 at 17:00

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Setting

Where and When Does My Days of Mercy Take Place?

The setting of My Days of Mercy (2017): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Location

Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, California

The film centers on a small-town Ohio home where Lucy and Martha live with their father on death row. Their world expands as they travel in a mobile home to protests across Illinois and Missouri, pursuing justice for Simon. The story ends with Lucy in California, working as a waitress six months later, signaling a new chapter after the intense legal and personal battles.

  • 🏠 Ohio town
  • 🚐 Mobile home road trip
  • 🗺️ Cross-state protests
  • 🏖️ California waitress life

Last updated: February 17, 2026 at 17:00

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3 major themes

My Days of Mercy Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is My Days of Mercy (2017) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Romance

    A romance develops between Lucy and Mercy amid political conflict and high personal stakes. The relationship grows through distance, first via shared cause and later through Skype, illustrating how love can arise under the pressures of activism and a public trial. It tests loyalties as Lucy learns Mercy’s life continues beyond their bond. The romance adds emotional weight to the fight for truth and justice.

  • Justice

    The death penalty case at the center of the film drives the sisters’ relentless pursuit of evidence and legal maneuvering. They push for stays of execution and search for new information to reopen the case, exposing the slow, imperfect nature of the justice system. The narrative questions whether justice can be achieved within procedural limits. The outcome forces hard moral choices for all involved.

  • Family

    Family loyalty anchors the story as a father on death row, two sisters fighting for him, and a young brother caught in the crossfire. The pursuit of truth and a fresh start through selling the family home test the bonds that hold them together. The film portrays memory, duty, and resilience as the family navigates trauma and the possibility of renewal. It highlights how familial ties propel action even when outcomes are uncertain.

Last updated: February 17, 2026 at 17:00

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Character & theme questions

My Days of Mercy Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about My Days of Mercy (2017): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is My Days of Mercy set?

The film is primarily set in a small-town Ohio home where Lucy and Martha live with their father on death row. As the story progresses, the family travels in a mobile home to protests across Illinois and Missouri, pursuing justice for Simon. The ending shifts to California, where Lucy starts a new chapter working as a waitress.

  • ohio
  • illinois
  • missouri
  • california
  • setting
  • locations
Q2

What locations does the film take place in?

The main setting is a small Ohio town where the Moro family home sits. The family travels extensively in a mobile home to attend protests and legal proceedings in Illinois and Missouri. The story concludes in California, where Lucy begins a new life after the intense legal battles conclude.

  • ohio
  • mobile home
  • road trip
  • protests
  • locations
Q3

What are the main themes in My Days of Mercy?

The film explores three interconnected themes. Romance depicts a relationship developing between Lucy and Mercy amid political conflict and high stakes, growing through shared cause and long-distance connection. Justice centers on the death penalty case driving the sisters' pursuit of evidence and reopening of Simon's case. Family examines the loyalty anchoring the story as sisters fight for their father while navigating trauma and the possibility of renewal.

  • romance
  • justice
  • family
  • themes
  • death penalty
Q4

How does the romance develop between Lucy and Mercy?

Lucy and Mercy's romance unfolds amid political conflict and high personal stakes. Their connection begins through shared activism around Simon's case and grows through distance via Skype conversations. The relationship tests both their loyalties as Lucy discovers Mercy's life continues beyond their bond, adding emotional weight to the fight for truth and justice.

  • lucy
  • mercy
  • romance
  • relationship
  • love
Q5

What does the film say about the justice system?

The death penalty case at the film's center drives the sisters' relentless pursuit of evidence and legal maneuvering. The narrative exposes the slow, imperfect nature of the justice system as they push for stays of execution and search for new information to reopen Simon's case. The outcome forces hard moral choices for all involved, questioning whether justice can truly be achieved within procedural limits.

  • death penalty
  • justice system
  • court
  • legal
  • innocence
Q6

What role does family play in My Days of Mercy?

Family loyalty anchors the entire story. A father on death row, two sisters fighting for him, and a young brother caught in the crossfire form the emotional core. The pursuit of truth and a fresh start through selling the family home tests the bonds holding them together. Familial ties propel action even when outcomes remain uncertain, with memory, duty, and resilience defining their journey.

  • family
  • sisters
  • father
  • lucy
  • martha
  • simon
Q7

Who is Lucy Moro in the film?

Lucy Moro is the daughter of Simon Moro, a man on death row. She is fiercely principled and emotionally torn, balancing anti-death penalty activism with a family fractured by potential wrongful conviction. She drives the mobile-life rhythm of the journey and forms a deep connection with Mercy, risking personal safety for the cause. Her stubborn hope and willingness to confront painful truths drive the film's emotional arc.

  • lucy moro
  • protagonist
  • activist
  • Elliot Page
Q8

Who is Mercy Bromage and what is her background?

Mercy Bromage is a lawyer whose father is a police officer, placing her on the opposing side of the Moro family's political cause. She navigates professional duty with personal vulnerability, remaining principled and capable of warmth. Her relationship with Lucy becomes a crucible for conflicting loyalties and desires amid a high-stakes public case, complicating both her professional responsibilities and personal life.

  • mercy bromage
  • lawyer
  • Kate Mara
  • police
  • opposing side
Q9

Who is Simon Moro and why is he important?

Simon Moro is the man on death row around whom the entire story centers. His contested truth and the looming question of his innocence shape the legal strategies and emotional stakes for Lucy and Martha. His fate remains a constant pressure throughout the film, testing the family's resolve and driving the narrative forward.

  • simon moro
  • father
  • death row
  • prisoner
Q10

What is the relationship between Lucy and Martha Moro like?

Lucy and Martha Moro are sisters united in their fight to prove their father Simon's innocence. Martha serves as the determined sister who relentlessly pursues legal strategies and coordinates efforts to reopen the case. She anchors the family's resilience and pushes for a fresh start, even as the case remains unresolved. Their bond reflects both devotion and pragmatism in the face of long odds.

  • lucy
  • martha
  • sisters
  • siblings
  • family bonds
Q11

What is the tone and emotional weight of the film?

The film carries a bittersweet tone, blending deep sadness from the father's execution and familial fracture with the hopeful possibility of a new start and rekindled love. The underlying tension of the death penalty case and forbidden romance creates medium intensity without overwhelming suspense. The emotional weight stems from themes of wrongful conviction, death, and family trauma, resulting in a bittersweet ending that combines loss with cautious reconciliation.

  • tone
  • bittersweet
  • emotional
  • ending
  • mood

Movie threads

More Movies Like My Days of Mercy, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes My Days of Mercy tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about forbidden love and grief like My Days of Mercy

Romantic connections that bloom defiantly in the face of grief and moral conflict. If you were captivated by the angsty, forbidden romance in My Days of Mercy set against a backdrop of grief, you'll find similar emotionally charged stories here. These films explore love that defies circumstances, often featuring heavy themes and bittersweet conclusions.

  • forbidden romance
  • angsty
  • grieving
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • defiant
  • Tone: bittersweet, tense, angsty
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories typically follow characters from opposing sides of a painful conflict—be it legal, familial, or ideological—who find solace and passion in each other. Their romantic journey is constantly tested by the weight of their external circumstances, forcing them to navigate loyalty, loss, and the possibility of a new beginning.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped together because they share a specific emotional mix: a high-stakes, forbidden romance intertwined with profound grief or moral dilemma. The pacing is steady, allowing the relationship and the surrounding tension to develop organically, leading to an ending that is rarely simple, often leaving characters—and viewers—with a sense of poignant, bittersweet resolution.

Dramas about family crises and moral conflict like My Days of Mercy

Stories where families are tested by profound ethical dilemmas and personal loss. For viewers who appreciated the deep exploration of family loyalty and moral conflict in My Days of Mercy, this thread features similar intense dramas. These movies delve into how families fracture and attempt to heal under the weight of a devastating event or an impossible choice.

  • family drama
  • moral conflict
  • grief
  • loyalty
  • sibling relationships
  • tense
  • Tone: melancholic, tense, strained
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a family confronted with an event that challenges their core beliefs and bonds, such as a crime, a legal battle, or a political cause. The plot delves into the differing responses of family members, creating internal conflict and forcing characters to confront their values, often leading to estrangement and a painful, complex path toward some form of reconciliation or acceptance.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their focus on the heavy emotional weight of a family in crisis. They share a steady, deliberate pacing that allows for deep character exploration, a medium to high intensity generated by the high-stakes situation, and a tone that is often melancholic and tense, resulting in endings that are ambiguous or bittersweet, reflecting the scars left by the conflict.

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Categories

Movie Lists Featuring My Days of Mercy

My Days of Mercy appears in these hand-built movie categories. Each one groups movies by a specific mood, theme or story type, with their plot summaries and endings explained.

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Every angle

My Days of Mercy (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about My Days of Mercy in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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