Directed By Titus Kaphar

Starring – Andre Holland, John Earl Jelks, Andra Day

The Plot – Utilizing his paintings to find freedom from his past, a Black artist (Holland) on the path to success is derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father (Jelks), a recovering addict desperate to reconcile. Together, they struggle and learn that forgetting might be a greater challenge than forgiving.

Rated R for adult language and brief drug material.

Exhibiting Forgiveness | Official Trailer | Only In Theaters October 18 (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

No film this year quite tapped into my emotional vulnerability like Kaphar’s directorial debut, which introspectively examines the concepts and layers associated with forgiveness that makes this such a gut-wrenching experience in the best kind of ways. Being a product of an abusive and distancing father figure, everything about the film enriches an authentic quality to its appeal that frequently transcends its fictional enveloping, all towards summoning a conflict that is grippingly real, with both meticulousness among its dramatic flare, and enticing dialogue, which vividly paints the psychology of the victim’s perspective that Tarell treads through so tenderly with bad memories that come to consume him. Perhaps Kaphar’s greatest strength is that he doesn’t exploit the abuse of the father towards feeling like the only thing that script has going for it, instead shrouding it in a cloud of compelling mystery that is slowly unraveled in the memories of Tarell, becoming clearer as he coasts closer and closer towards a reunion with his father. While we the audience can wisely piece together what kind of aspects pertain to such an overwhelming hatred that a son has towards his father, the ambiguity allows us to focus on the after effects of abuse more prominently, with an opening act devoted almost entirely to Tarell’s nightly duress, which bleeds over onto the canvases of his work as a highly gifted artist. Likewise, because we’re purely seeing who the father is now, in his weakened and frail state as a homeless man down on his luck, instead of the monster he once was, it also spikes curiosity into those events of the past, which he doesn’t feel capable of committing, but alas stands at the crossroads of transforming duality in the seemingly helpless daze under the spell of drug use, which he based his whole daily routine around. Aside from the various character studies, the script also illustrates a complexity with resolving forgiveness that approaches it with the kind of maturity and refreshing responsibility that isn’t present in a lot of movies centering around a divide between two characters, proving that healing might only be possible with absolution, but it isn’t as simple as hating one day, then loving the next. Without spoiling matters, I can say that this leads to a climax that I loved and adored, but one that I feel isn’t necessarily going to serve as a crowd pleaser to the majority of those who go to see the movie. While the film does eventually lead to an all-out confrontational climax with all of the longing and sentimentality of the love lost between family, it also doesn’t exactly go the way that some would expect, and I took great respect and admiration for a movie that never loses sight of the stakes within its conflict, for the sake of orchestrating something that feels improperly melodramatic or at the very least convenient, instead opting for broad strokes of patience and maturity that served the exploration tremendously in seeing the bigger picture. Speaking of broad strokes, the film is just as radiantly shot and executed as it is psychologically impulsive, with some unique measures to its presentation that creatively captivated audiences towards immersing themselves to Tarell’s abundance of unforgettable memories. As an artist, Tarell paints these epic pieces that elicit his familiar neighborhoods with tremendous detail, and the film takes advantage of bringing these pieces to life by incorporating them subtly in the placements of where they’re summoned from in real time, but only in ways that the character in focus can see them. This results in some clever uses of editing to the movie’s favor that seamlessly blurs the lines of fantasy and reality accordingly, but beyond that initiates a metaphorical portal into the days and events that conjured them, which glows intoxicatingly with the film’s already prosperous cinematography from the great Lachlan Milne. Similar to the distinguishing traits of ‘Moonlight’s entrancing photography, Milne takes his time with the interpretation of the imagery, with subtle inching forward in the movements of the lens that lavishes in the lingering of contained thoughts that only one character within the context of the film can vividly feel, and when combined with reserved editing that extends these observations a bit longer than typical, without alienating the patience of the audience, we’re able to soak in as much of the scenic splendor that is paired immaculately with Jherek Bischoff’s sentimental score, all towards crafting meaning that doesn’t require meandering. Lastly, there are Oscar-worthy turns distributed constantly throughout the talents of this decorated ensemble, primarily Andre Holland and John Earl Jelks, who deliver endlessly in fleshing out the humanity of their respective portrayals. Holland has some of the most emotive eyes in all of Hollywood, where he studies a moment that has played so repeatedly in his mind since his character’s childhood, and in articulating such, attains the palpability of anger and abandonment to the audience, during those tense interactions with Jelks, in ways that subscribe effortlessly to the empathy we feel towards the character. As for Jelks, he’s asked to do so much between the versatility of being an abusive addict and epiphanous reborn Christian, but he continuously rises to the occasion, with a balance of intensity and earnest empathy that outlines every inch of his victimization that he faced towards an abusive parent of his own, as well as drugs, which have cost him everything. Because of such, Jelks exudes the kind of constant pain that stares a hole in the soul of the audience, and though his character is anything but admirable, Jelks tender portrayal of the second half of this character did succeed at the Herculain task of attaining compassion, especially when his character hits rock bottom in the most backhanded of ways.

NEGATIVES

While ‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ does a remarkable job of utilizing the complexities of long-standing resolution, it isn’t a perfect film, as a couple of unfortunate aspects with the script kept this from being one of the year’s best. The first and most consistently troubling to me was the inconsistencies of the pacing, which throughout a bit of an unconventional structure for a family drama unsuccessfully rides the waves of highs and lows, without maintaining the kind of momentum to keep me gripped throughout a nearly two hour run time. There isn’t anything that I would sacrifice from the depths of the exploration, in terms of trimming minutes, but I wish the script meticulously elevated the confrontation all the way to the climax, especially since a second act blow-up between father and son does steal some of the thunder that is typically reserved for a movie’s biggest moments, and though the climax is effective and impactful at finishing things on a very loud and resonating sentiment that feels unmistakable, the repetitious outline makes it a bit of an endurance test to get there, especially in such a tender and vulnerable subject matter that doesn’t always lend itself exceptionally to entertainment value. My other problem is with the limited pursuit of dynamic between Tarell and on-screen wife, Aisha (Played by Andra Day), which pales in comparison to those he shared with both parents. Day’s performance is good enough for what little is asked of her, but it feels like the film places little value in the balance that her character brings in suppressing the overpowering feelings associated with Tarell’s abusive childhood, in turn making her feel less important to the dynamic of our protagonist, which I wish the film utilized towards exploring more of the person that he became in raising a child of his own, while refusing to prolong the cycle that has unfortunately defined his family. During the few sporadic cuts to tender moments with his son, Tarell feels like he subconsciously grapples with the idea that a father could be anything but a loving provider to someone so young and helpless, and it’s in those interactions where I wish he opened up more urgently to Aisha, in order to create a greater sense of value to what she brings to both him and the film.

OVERALL
‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ is a lucidly thought-provoking and radiantly painted canvas that isn’t always inspiring or pleasant to coherently interpret, but one that persists within a raw layer of evocative emotion that hits you throughout so many naturalistic interactions. As a debut storyteller, Titus Kaphar effectively unlocks the suppressed trauma that tie so many of his audiences together, and as a result abandons the abstract for a powerfully absorbing drama that not only taps into the complexities of confrontational resolution, but also the ghosts of memories past that persist from those unable or unwilling to face them for the future.

My Grade: 8/10 or A-