Exhibiting Forgiveness has a gorgeous look, focusing on Andre Holland’s canvasses to help aid the story around him. It’s a reconciliation film, as his father is brought back into the picture and he must understand forgiveness’s maturity. His own mother forgave him, so why can’t he?
It’s a dilemma that each individual goes through at some point and a relatable practice that helps you discover more about yourself. It’s an intimate drama that holds a lot of pain. Holland carries that in his performance and deals with the complexity of the choice in idiosyncratic ways. It’s not an overly exciting film but it has strong themes and a takeaway that means something to most people. The warm lighting and emphasis on wide-shot angles give it an artsy feel that works for this subject matter. Painterly quality that blends life with the art seeping out of Holland in artistic ways.
Unfortunately, Exhibiting Forgiveness becomes too art house emotion to become overly invested. It loses authenticity and it climbs higher and higher on the dramatics. I want to be enamored with the aesthetic alone, but the direction stays in one lane and never veers off. It becomes a stale story after the beats hit repeatedly. Nonetheless, it has it’s good and bad qualities.
Review: ☆☆☆ (78)
Weird Verdict:
Weird Cinema 