★ 7 / 10
No matter what anyone might say, and regardless
Brent Marchant
No matter what anyone might say, and regardless of how virtuous its impact may be, extending forgiveness to another is nevertheless often difficult. While it’s…
No matter what anyone might say, and regardless of how virtuous its impact may be, extending forgiveness to another is nevertheless often difficult. While it’s true that the benefits to come from it can be considerable, reaching that point generally requires overcoming significant pain, resentment and disappointment. Such is the case for Tarrell (André Holland), a gifted and successful artist whose work is in great demand. However, the profound artistry behind his paintings stems largely from his difficult upbringing, having been raised mostly by his loving mother, Joy (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), after she booted Tarrell’s abusive, drug-addicted father, La’Ron (John Earl Jelks), from their home. Despite the departure of the source of that agony, the pain of Tarrell’s existence has lingered ever since, and his painting has served as an important form of de facto therapy. But the roots of his anguish remain, and he has difficulty getting past his past – that is, until his long-absent dad reappears in his life. Trying as it might be, this unexpected reunion presents an opportunity for Tarrell, Joy and La’Ron to work through their ordeal, but are they up to it? That’s what writer-director Titus Kaphar’s debut feature seeks to do, a story drawn in part from his own experience and featuring paintings created by the filmmaker himself. Through this story, the act of forgiveness is explored from myriad angles, unflinchingly depicting the pain and difficulty involved in achieving it. The picture also shows how the impact of such torment can “unwittingly” extend to others, including ostensibly innocent bystanders like Tarrell’s wife, Aisha (Andra Day), who puts her own career as a musician on hold while she attempts to help her husband sort out his issues, a simmering source of strain in their marriage. This is all effectively brought to life through an artistically beautiful, gorgeously photographed production, backed by an emotive and engaging soundtrack. Admittedly, the pacing could use a little shoring up in spots, and the emotional depth that seemingly should have infused the writing for certain scenes doesn’t quite reach the peak that it could have, but those drawbacks are well camouflaged by the fine performances of the ensemble, especially Holland and Ellis-Taylor, who deliver some of the best work of their careers. Most importantly, though, “Exhibiting Forgiveness” is definitely a movie with a powerful message, and it makes no effort to conceal it. It drives home its point with forcefulness and clarity, as well as fearless, unapologetic candor, successfully avoiding the pitfall of sugarcoating, soft peddling or sanitizing how challenging a process extending forgiveness can be. We could all learn a lot from that – and, considering the state of affairs in our world these days, it would behoove us if we did.
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★ 6 / 10
Addiction, weakness and anger...
ronan73
I liked this movie but felt but it missed something...which is strange because some scenes brought me to tears.As someone who lived a life actually worse than…
I liked this movie but felt but it missed something...which is strange because some scenes brought me to tears.As someone who lived a life actually worse than the main character I can tell you forgiveness is a long journey for some, like me, but some forgive easy and move on, but everyone feels the pain. We shouldn't judge others for how they go along that journey themselves. And we don't have to forgive, but very least we should try and understand.This movie tried to show that I guess but it just skipped over certain struggles. Maybe a timing issue. I can't even put my finger on exactly why it missed with me. I think partly because the main character is shown as a smart switched on guy and yet he still can't piece together a journey and see the pain others are struggling with. Maybe it's the art itself. Maybe I just couldn't connect with the main character.I like some of the artistic direction and the storytelling of some scenes but other more powerful scenes weren't lead into well and they were cut away just as harshly. It's a bit distraing when you don't know which emotion they are going with.99% of the acting is bang on point. The boys acting was superior and I believed him in every scene he was in.I was told once " you should always try to do better than your parents and if everyone did that, every generation would achieve more than the previous one". This movie is somewhere in that quote but couldn't quite nail it.I rate this movie but the message didn't quite land.. For me anyway! It is still an important story to tell as most people could see themselves in it and should learn to forgive.
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★ 7 / 10
Hard-hitting and Poignant
brentsbulletinboard
No matter what anyone might say, and regardless of how virtuous its impact may be, extending forgiveness to another is nevertheless often difficult. While it's…
No matter what anyone might say, and regardless of how virtuous its impact may be, extending forgiveness to another is nevertheless often difficult. While it's true that the benefits to come from it can be considerable, reaching that point generally requires overcoming significant pain, resentment and disappointment. Such is the case for Tarrell (André Holland), a gifted and successful artist whose work is in great demand. However, the profound artistry behind his paintings stems largely from his difficult upbringing, having been raised mostly by his loving mother, Joy (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), after she booted Tarrell's abusive, drug-addicted father, La'Ron (John Earl Jelks), from their home. Despite the departure of the source of that agony, the pain of Tarrell's existence has lingered ever since, and his painting has served as an important form of de facto therapy. But the roots of his anguish remain, and he has difficulty getting past his past - that is, until his long-absent dad reappears in his life. Trying as it might be, this unexpected reunion presents an opportunity for Tarrell, Joy and La'Ron to work through their ordeal, but are they up to it? That's what writer-director Titus Kaphar's debut feature seeks to do, a story drawn in part from his own experience and featuring paintings created by the filmmaker himself. Through this story, the act of forgiveness is explored from myriad angles, unflinchingly depicting the pain and difficulty involved in achieving it. The picture also shows how the impact of such torment can "unwittingly" extend to others, including ostensibly innocent bystanders like Tarrell's wife, Aisha (Andra Day), who puts her own career as a musician on hold while she attempts to help her husband sort out his issues, a simmering source of strain in their marriage. This is all effectively brought to life through an artistically beautiful, gorgeously photographed production, backed by an emotive and engaging soundtrack. Admittedly, the pacing could use a little shoring up in spots, and the emotional depth that seemingly should have infused the writing for certain scenes doesn't quite reach the peak that it could have, but those drawbacks are well camouflaged by the fine performances of the ensemble, especially Holland and Ellis-Taylor, who deliver some of the best work of their careers. Most importantly, though, "Exhibiting Forgiveness" is definitely a movie with a powerful message, and it makes no effort to conceal it. It drives home its point with forcefulness and clarity, as well as fearless, unapologetic candor, successfully avoiding the pitfall of sugarcoating, soft peddling or sanitizing how challenging a process extending forgiveness can be. We could all learn a lot from that - and, considering the state of affairs in our world these days, it would behoove us if we did.
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95%
TOMATOMETER
· 77 reviews
92%
AUDIENCE
· 100 ratings
7.0/10
1.8K
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Hey racists, go outside?