Exhibiting Forgiveness

Honestly, I went into watching 'Exhibiting Forgiveness' with no expectations at all. There's a stellar cast here and I figured anything with Aujunue Ellis was bound to be descent. I was so pleasantly surprised by this film that really tackles some taboo subjects in the Black community like drug abuse, physical abuse, generational trauma, religious abuse, etc. It goes in and takes such a realistic look at the grieving process and what forgiveness actually looks like. The dialog was fantastic and this was my first time seeing Andre Holland in a film. POWERHOUSE. Thank goodness this didn't rely on the tropes that we often see in cinema surrounding this subject matter. Very strong feature debut from Titus Kaphur. I can't wait to see him share more of his art with the world.

"Exhibiting Forgiveness" exceeded all my expectations. I went to this film based on its trailer and successful film festival run. But I wasn't sure what I'd actually be seeing when I entered the cinema. What I saw when I watched this film was this - a moving story, with a strong emotional core; characters with complexity, humanity, flaws. There was sadness, but also humor. A lovely story about an African American artist and his family, all struggling in different ways with the past. It was deep but I didn't look at the time on my phone once during the 2 hour run time. The acting was phenomenal. It should be remembered at awards time.

Watched this at Sidewalk Film Festival and was absolutely moved to ugly tears in the theater. I went in having only seen the trailer and expected a typical telling of learning how to forgive. This was much deeper and incredibly done, having many parallels to my own life I was not prepared for how deeply this movie would affect and impact me. Crowd reactions were very interesting and intense and quite telling as to who had experienced similar trauma and who was able to laugh at the jokes surrounding the situation. The film was inspiring, healing, painful and powerful, with an emphasis on showing the reality of how our actions impact others permanently. Amazing directorial debut and stellar performances by all the cast.

I'm truly at a loss for words. Exhibiting Forgiveness is a powerful and emotionally charged film that dives deep into themes of healing, reconciliation, and inner strength. It's incredibly realistic, heartfelt, and soulful-every scene feels genuine and impactful. The storytelling is layered and thought-provoking, prompting reflection on one's own experiences and relationships. It left me sitting in silence, processing everything I had just witnessed. A beautifully crafted piece of cinema. Kudos to the entire team for creating something so profound and moving. I will gladly be looking out for more.

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Titus Kaphar creates a strong emotional drama with strong themes, writing, and a wonderful performance from Andre Holland. Holland's performance was amazing as his performance created an good essence and personality to his character which felt purposeful and insightful. Including the rest of the performances from the other cast members. Kaphar's direction and writing provides interesting themes of forgiveness, estranged family relationship, art, generational trauma, and healing from the Black community and each of the themes were handled gracefully and were well-executed.

Many of the dialogue moments were strong as each dialogue from the characters felt real and raw. I really connected with Holland's character as I felt emotionally invested and pretty bad for him throughout. Having known peers who have similar lives to Holland's character, made the movie more powerful and compelling. Forgiveness can be messy and Kaphar perfectly demonstrates how tough, messy and emotional forgiveness can be.

The production designs, camerawork, and the soundtrack choices are wonderful. The pacing does have some slow moments but it didn't ruin the experience. Overall, strong debut from Titus Kaphar and I look forward to see what Kaphar has next.