Direction: John Michael McDonagh
Country: UK
This adaptation of Lawrence Osborne’s book of the same name by director John Michael McDonagh isn’t exactly flat at its core, but it never comes together, resulting in an almost entirely predictable misfire. Bolstered with the solid acting of Ralph Fiennes (The Constant Gardener, 2005; Spider, 2002) and Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, 2012; The Eyes of Tammy Faye, 2021), The Forgiven says too little as it attempts to formulate a direct critique of the cynical, hedonistic, and affluent Western dominance of African countries and the subjugation of their people. McDonagh, who impressed crowds with bold films such as The Guard (2011) and Calvary (2014), ran out of gas here as he sticks to a tightly wound narrative that, promising to surprise, lingers forever. He clearly looks for depth and maturity but ends up grabbing some dust in the air.
A terrible accident while driving through the Moroccan desert has profound repercussions on the lives of the Henningers, a wealthy British couple. He is David (Fiennes), a contemptuous alcoholic doctor whose words are constantly loaded with sarcasm; she is Jo (Chastain), a dissatisfied writer of children’s books who is open to new romantic adventures. While David agrees to be taken by the grieving Moroccan father (Ismael Kanater) whose son he ran over, Jo instantly forgets him, especially when Tom (Christopher Abbott), a gallant financial analyst from New York, is around.
Superiority, mercy, compassion, and atonement are dutifully stitched into a diagrammatic patchwork that captures better the gut-ache of a broken 12-year marriage than anything else. A restrained, tepid tone is maintained throughout a drama film that should have added a little extra bite.
