Forgiven

I had a job to recognise Forest Whittaker when the movie started because the make up was so good, and his normal facial expressions and mannerisms were just not there for this movie, quite rightly so to because he portrayed Desmond Tutu so very well.

Eric Bana's portrayal was so brilliant that you really hated the man and became engrossed in the interplay between him and Tutu, which in itself was interesting to watch.

I won't go into the details and spoil everything, but one of the scenes towards the end of the movie was one of the most heart-wrenching scenes I have ever seen in any movie, anywhere, and surely the actors must have received a standing ovation from the crew after it was filmed.

Don't be put off by the poor reviews, because this is a movie worth watching and you may well learn something along the way.

It is tough - what goes on in certain regions of the world. The movie boasts Eric Bana and Forest Whittaker - both amazing actors in their own rights. But the subject matter is the one that counts. And it is one that if you are a decent human being will really make you angry ... to say the least.

There are many things in this that will appall you ... that will infuriate you. There is some relief along the way if you can call it that, but mostly this is heavy stuff. There is no right way to go about certain things ... or no right way for all. Because while revenge or forgiveness are the two main things you can choose from ... how can you tell someone who lost so much ... who has dealt in so much pain, what to do? And it is not like there is just good and bad ... I mean there is in some situations, but the overall it is quite complex ... as is the movie. Which is why it might not touch a nerve with you ... or touch all of them at once.

An essential film explaining quite a bit of the appartheid and its dissolution. Good and evil fights.

Dont see the hate of this move. just a good movie about the human race!

Sometimes a film does not need to be original or show artistic flair when telling its story. This is particularly the case when portraying momentous and in this case tragic historic events. And critics always searching for "originality" or "flair" when reviewing a film can at times consider no context when truly understanding the intention of a movie such as this one.

A film can certainly do history justice by purely being authentic with strong and brave performances as is the case in The Forgiven.

A movie about the fallout of South Africa's transformation from apartheid to a fragile state of confusion and change, runs the risk of "trying too hard", embellishment or falling victim to basic flaws such as bad acting or poor story telling. However this film is executed perfectly and the performances from Whitaker and Bana were simply outstanding.