Liz and Stephen are a happily married couple with two young girls. Their world is torn apart though when the eldest girl, Sophie, comes to Liz upset that Stephen has hurt her. Liz asks how and Sophie reveals that the "hurting" has been sexual in nature. Distraught Liz confronts Stephen who assures her he knows he was wrong and will of course change. When it happens again though, Liz has no option but to call in the authorities to protect her daughters but at the same time feels also the need to stand by Stephen as he undergoes punishment and treatment.
A very difficult film this one. It is not perfect but it is hard not to be caught up in the questions that it asks. Any media coverage of child abuse and paedophilia is perhaps understandably met with anger and disgust. This film gives you enough detail so that you cannot feel comfortable but the thing that makes it difficult is that our focus and perspective comes very much from the mother of the abused child and wife of the abuser. In doing this it asks the question of the title, can one forgive this sexual crime particularly when it comes from within? It is not an easy watch by any means and I think this was reflected in some of the criticisms on it but really it is a very smart piece of work. The characters do not act logically and at times I did find myself looking at Liz in disbelief but when I did this I found myself thinking about how the characters would feel. Why wouldn't Sophie want her father back when really it is likely she does not see her father as an abuser but something he did. Liz is a harder one to get but even this complexity is delivered with realism that did make me understand if not empathise. Liz works particularly thanks to great delivery from Cohu. It is a tremendous performance at the heart of the film and she convinced me throughout and also has the awareness not to make Liz totally blameless in the eyes of the viewer. She is matched by a brave Riddell. It is a difficult character and one that he does well in even if he doesn't totally wear his character like a skin. Beyond them the children are good in Rakic-Platt and Dryek, while a small turn from Mona Lisa's Kathy Tyson surprised me just because it feels like I have not seen her since that film.
Overall then this is not a comfortable or cheerful watch and the casual viewer should be aware of this as they come to it. The subject matter is tough and the script does not produce the easy answers and indeed challenges the viewer to look at it from a perspective that the newspapers will never give you and for this it is well worth watching whether it is easy or not.
