In many ways, the new movie Trial By Fire, out now, is a film about the perils of a criminal justice system that has, in numerous cases, used the death penalty against wrongfully convicted felons. Trial By Fire tells the true story of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was accused and convicted of murdering his daughters by lighting a fire in their home. But when playwright Elizabeth Gilbert (Laura Dern) — not to be confused with the Eat, Pray, Love author — encountered his story, she discovered that his constant pleas of innocence might actually be correct, and that the justice system, his lawyer, and the state of Texas may have failed him. She got to work and proved his innocence, but she eventually lost the fight and he was executed. Willingham's possible innocence and Gilbert's story became a New Yorker article that eventually inspired Trial By Fire and more scrutiny of the death penalty as a viable punishment. Now, the real Elizabeth Gilbert (pictured above) says she's overwhelmed at how far the story has come.