Exhibiting Forgiveness

NOW IN THEATERS! Forgiveness is a challenging concept in America today. Pain is the disease, and justice is the cure. Artist/writer/director Titus Kaphar’s feature film, Exhibiting Forgiveness, walks us down the painful road of forgiveness and letting go.

Representing Kaphar’s personal experience, Tarrell (André Holland) is an artist, husband, and father, and every night, he experiences night terrors that scare his wife Aisha (Andra Day) and son Jermaine (Daniel Michael Barriere). Tarrell’s pride keeps him from seeking help.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Terrell’s estranged father, La’Ron (John Earl Jelks), is an addict and homeless. After being seriously injured in a liquor store robbery, La’Ron decides to get help and check into rehab.

Time has passed, and La’Ron is on the shaky road to recovery. He’s made amends with his ex-wife and Terrell’s mother, Joyce (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor). Now, he wants to make amends with Terrell, but Terrell will have nothing to do with his father.

Seeing his father with his mother and knowing the abuse of his past, Terrell’s recurring memories of his past haunt him, interfering with his being a suitable father and having severe implications for his upcoming gallery premiere. Slowly, Terrell’s life falls apart, finally forcing him to confront the man he’s hated since childhood.

“…recurring memories of his past haunt him, interfering with his being a suitable father…”

First, the cinematography of Exhibiting Forgiveness is top-notch. This is a drama set in the art world, and each frame of the film reflects that. The crisp, clean lines and clarity are strikingly noticeable from composition to lighting.

Exhibiting Forgiveness also exhibited many pieces from writer/director Titus Kaphar’s collection, including pieces made for the film. I’m not an art critic, but I thought the painting looked amazing. Whenever I see films about painters, I can always tell if the actor playing the artist can really paint. It’s abundantly clear that André Holland received extensive training, so much so that he put actual paint to brush followed by technique.

Exhibiting Forgiveness is an amazing and powerful film about generational trauma- the sins of the father, as it were. Director Kaphar found a way to exercise the family demons by “exhibiting forgiveness” in painting, story, and film. He shows that forgiveness is something that is wrestled with and not-so-easy to do. He also shows that forgiveness is just as much for the forgiver as the forgiven.

André Holland is fantastic as Tarrell, along with John Earl Jelks as his father, La’ron. Their story gets gritty, and there’s a pain in both performances that is better seen than said. The film is full of conundrums, with “How could you [blank]?” being asked constantly, but forgiveness is not easy but essential.

Exhibiting Forgiveness is a must-see movie for its universal message of family…and for the great performances and art. Kaphar will immerse you in pain and guide you to hope in the end.

Exhibiting Forgiveness screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.