The Forgiven

Richard Galloway (Matt Smith) and his gay partner Dally Margolis (Caleb Landry Jones) have created a private resort in the Moroccan desert. Hard-drinking surgeon David Henninger (Ralph Fiennes) and his wife Jo (Jessica Chastain) are two of their guests. In the dark of night, David gets lost driving to the resort. He hits and kills a local boy.

This reminds me of the TV show, The White Lotus. The guests are entitled and selfish. They make many assumptions about the locals. The locals have their own prejudices. It's a clash of cultures and classes. It raises uncomfortable questions about people. Unlike White Lotus, this does not use as much ironic humor and has the intensity raised up especially in David's journey. I could do with less Jo. Once David is headed out into the desert, the resort life holds much less importance.

Moody, ambient film set in the rich beauty of desert Morocco. Suspenseful and full of Moroccan culture and influence. A morality tale between the haves and the have nots. Quite arresting, lush cinematography. I have visited Morrocco this year and appreciated the slice of culture. Tense and surprising.

I'm a huge Ralph Fiennes fan and he didn't disappoint- he was the highlight of this unusual movie of clashing cultures and relationships. Matt White was suave and Jessica can be charming, but most of the other characters were stereotypical cardboard cutouts. The last half of the movie was the best by far. I'm still chewing on what I've just seen, unsure if I really enjoyed it or am a little disappointed. It's worth the highlights in my opinion, but I definitely think there were some missed opportunities to make this a deeper, more meaningful film.

It's not a very long movie so might as well try it.

The sets and landscapes are breathtaking. The cinematography outstanding. The performances are all stellar. And even though the pacing is slow enough to make the 117 min runtime feel much longer, writer and director John Michael McDonagh still manages to capture every special close-up shot and proverbial comment well enough to drive the hidden messages right through your heart.

However, as pretty and shiny as this film is, all the bloated intrigue and drama fails to deliver the true depth of the film. There's just too much filler and not enough substance. This film needed the mysteries and messaging to be harder, and the shallow pretentious eye-candy to be softer. Even the predicable ending could've been more exciting.

Nevertheless, a beautifully shot film with excellent performances that still manages to deliver a thought provoking message when morality is crossed with spoiled and entitled privilege, and the consequences that follow. It's a great one-time watch and a well deserved 7/10 from me.

Whilst The Forgiven definitely feels its length it's still a really good drama that skillfully critiques many of the worst tendencies of the upper class whilst wisely humanising those who are often depicted as stereotypes.

Ralph Fiennes gives a great lead performance that's unafraid to be unlikable and buoyed by his solid chemistry with Saïd Taghmaoui, whose one of the most human, earnest and likeable characters in the whole film. Ismael Kanater is also great, equally human and full of heartbreaking pain and anguish.

John Michael McDonagh's direction is really good, prioritising nice framing and some clever transitions over mobility. The old Hollywood style credits are a nice touch too. The music by Lorne Balfe is really evocative and memorable if a little overused.