Sydney🚀’s review published on Letterboxd:
You took the past. And man I forgive you. I understand. Life didn’t give you a lot of choices. But the future… that’s mine.
As someone who is very familiar with the complexities of forgiving a parent I’ve grown really sick of movies with sugarcoated images of forgiveness, that often treat it as being synonymous with reconciliation. Forgiveness is messy and unsatisfying. There’s often a stubbornness that precedes it, especially with parents, a refusal to acknowledge what they themselves have been through and why they hurt you. This acceptance or even understanding might seem like an avenue to excuses but it’s revelatory to realize that it is not for them, but what allows you to forgive and unburden yourself from resentment. Exhibiting Forgiveness understands this completely, it is a hell of a debut from Titus Kaphar and a cathartic “I see you” to everyone who has had a similar experience. It leaves no stone unturned of whether people can change, the internal as well as external work, it even manages to include incredibly poignant moments about the complexities of love and processing trauma through art. André Holland is the cherry on top and the absolute heart of the film, his performance is raw and endlessly moving. One of my favorites out of Sundance this year!
