More and more in recent years, there have been urban stories featuring Black families in different circumstances in their various lives. The latest film that deals with these similar plot points is Exhibiting Forgiveness by new writer/director Titus Kaphar.  It focuses mainly on a family that lives in Chicago, Illinois, and it isn’t always easy to watch, based on some of the difficult subject matter that takes place. It’s worth your time though because it’s very well done.

Tarrell (Andre Holland) is a rather successful painter. He lives with his wife Aisha (Andra Day) and their son Jermaine (Daniel Michael Barriere). He has just had a successful show and his agent Jaime (Jaime Newman) wants him to do another one. His art is that popular. While visiting his mother Joyce the man gets an unexpected visit from his Crack addict father Le Ron John Jelks) who he’s estranged from. This turns his life upside down as he is not happy by being unexpectedly surprised in this way.

Jelks’s character is a man who has struggled as a father. He treated his son with tough love.  The fact that he was addicted to crack quite a few problems with the mother of his child and the world he knows as a whole. Getting beat up by a couple of hoods trying to rob the store he hung out behind was the straw that broke the camel’s back for him in his life. He had to change his life or he wasn’t going to live much longer. With help from his brother and a good citizen, he finally starts to get his life turned around. The thing that matters most to him though is to try and better his relationship with his son.

This film had two distinct stories within the context of this film. One took place in the present and dealt with the drama between the various family members involved in the main plot. The second thought took place in the past using flashbacks to tell the story of the young Tarrell’s (Ian Foreman) experience with his abusive drug addict father. When these scenes showed up in the movie they gave me chills because they were very difficult to watch. What this boy went through was very horrific. No wonder he didn’t get along with him or talk to him for many years.

This story reminded me of my own upbringing and my current relationship with my father. We have a difficult relationship, to be honest. I still don’t forgive him for the things he did to my mom and my brothers, sister, and me when we were kids. Drugs and alcohol,  in my case, can ruin families. This story is a prime example of how hard it is for wives/mothers to deal with alcohol/drug addict fathers. It usually doesn’t end well for somebody involved. Even the kids can be affected years later because of the trauma they dealt with as children. These kinds of things can get passed on to the next generation very easily.  Good for Holland’s character they weren’t. 

Kaphar assembled a fantastic cast for this film. As mentioned Holland, Jelks, Ellis-Taylor and Day are all fantastic in this urban family drama. They all have various roles to play in this difficult story. They are all absorbed in the portrayal of their characters. There is a reason why they have been nominated for many Emmys and Oscars in their various careers. They all bring a gravitas to their performances. There is a reason why Holland and Ellis-Taylor specifically keep getting cast in films. They are both great actors in their own right.

Exhibiting Forgiveness is a stark portrayal of a father and son relationship that is damaged beyond repair. The performances from Holland and Jelks show that in a distinctive way. You can see the pain and suffering each of them has in their portrayal of their various characters. Kaphar makes it hard to watch this film because it probably hits home for a lot of people. It did for me that’s for sure. This is a distinctive urban story, but it can relate to a lot of people White, Black, Latino, or Asian alike.  This man is a writer/director to watch for in the future similar in vein to Barry Jenkins or Steve McQueen.  This was an incredible film from beginning to end.

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen