The Forgiveness of Blood (2012)
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Reviews Counted: 63
Fresh: 54 | Rotten: 9
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Critic Reviews: 23
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 3
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 1,427
My Rating
Movie Info
The powerful and richly textured second feature from Joshua Marston focuses on an Albanian family caught up in a blood feud. Nik (Tristan Halilaj) is a carefree teenager in a small town with a crush on the school beauty and ambitions to start his own internet café. His world is suddenly up-ended when his father and uncle become entangled in a land dispute that leaves a fellow villager murdered. According to a centuries-old code of law, this entitles the dead man's family to take the life of a
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Tristan Halilaj
Nik -
Sindi Lacej
Rudina -
Refet Abazi
Mark -
Ilire Vinca Celaj
Drita -
Çun Lajçi
Ded -
Zana Hasaj
Bardha -
Erjon Mani
Tom -
Luan Jaha
Zef -
Veton Osmani
Sokol -
Selman Lokaj
Kreshnik -
Kol Zefi
Shpend -
Esmeralda Gjonlulaj
Bora -
Elsajed Tallalli
Dren -
Ibrahim Ymeri
School Director -
Servete Haxhija
Mara -
Arlind Lleshi
Loran -
Alfred Lisi
Fatmir -
Edmond Pepkolaj
Police Captain -
Geg Zefi
Afrim -
Pjeter Noshi
Besim -
Isuf Duraj
Gjergj -
Sabri Haxhija
Lexë -
Ruzhdi Pirnaq
Genc -
Xhevdet Shima
Mr. Skendaj -
Gjin Basha
Hasan Pema -
Arben Buhaj
Burim -
Injac Marku
Cigarette Vendor #1 -
Haxhi Brati
Cigarette Vendor #2 -
Eduard Beqiri
Cigarette Vendor #3 -
Fatmir Shabaj
Horse Buyer
ADVERTISEMENT
The Forgiveness of Blood Trailer & Photos
All Critics (63) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (55) | Rotten (9) | DVD (2)
[A] low-key tale of life in rural Albania.
Top CriticWe don't see any blood, or much forgiveness either, but we do witness something far more resonant - a young generation caught between the rock of tradition and the hard place of modernity.
A heartbreaking Albanian film that counts the toll a family feud takes on all involved.
The leads -- both non-actors -- hit sharp, natural notes.
Tradition can be dangerous as well as dumb. "The Forgiveness of Blood" is about a modern kid in an old-world society. It's a terrible fit.
It's a thriller that feels like a documentary.
The fascinating pic is filled with eye-pleasing location shots.
It's a searing portrait of a dangerous generational divide that ruins lives, told with a gentle touch.
Essentially a prison film where the bars are age-old customs and contradictory traditions, The Forgiveness of Blood imagines a modern Albania increasingly at odds with its cultural roots.
Has an earthy whiff of authenticity. But it's seriously lacking in incident and dramatic drive. Admirable work by British cinematographer Rob Hardy, though.
A slow but totally authentic-looking film with an excellent cast, not all of whom are professionals.
Joshua Marston hops on another subculture - Albanian blood feuds - and operates sensitively once again in the space between 21st-century ethnographer and enlightened genre director.
The plot comes to a quiet boil. Then unfortunately it falls off the stove.
This dark and dismal Albanian drama has some admirable performances but ultimately, the film itself lacks any real spark and becomes a little self-pitying.
Sticks with you, even though the ending is not entirely satisfying.
[A] compelling foreign language drama that unfolds beyond the borders of the First World.
Even if it lacks a stand-out turn it's still a grippingly authentic slice of life.
Runs deepest as a vicious twist on the coming-of-age teen movie and when it offers up small moments within its near-mythic feud. Here, revenge is a dish served hot-blooded. It's the sharp slaps of betrayal and yearnings for the impossible that chill.
Without resorting to didactic exposition, Marston manages to teach us a great deal about Albanian law and custom, and to make this utterly foreign culture explicable to popcorn-munching American moviegoers.
Joshua Marston's follow-up to his stunning Maria Full of Grace debut gets high marks for nice performances and immersion into a remote Albanian village, but narrative deficiencies render it a disappointment.
...honors the virtues of small-town life as well as the beauty of the Albanian countryside, without being blind to the potentially tragic outcomes of adherence to a rigid code of honor.
A memorable portrait of a society and the demands it makes on those caught up in it.
Audience Reviews for The Forgiveness of Blood
Super Reviewer
But "The Forgiveness of Blood," despite having some wonderful aspects, is not going to be described by anyone as enthralling. It is set in present-day Albania. (Marston's ability to cross cultures continues to amaze.) A feud develops between two families, leading to a murder. The man who commits the murder disappears, and his wife and children have to go into seclusion.
The two teenagers in the family, magnificently played by two young Albanian actors, are the center of the film. We get to experience the ordeal for the most part through these teenagers' eyes, a boy and a girl. I felt like I learned a lot about Balkan culture, and I did feel emotionally engaged with the characters.
But the story just does not have enough content. There aren't enough dramatic elements. Not enough happens. It feels to me that Marston needed to spend more time developing the story before starting the film shoot. I wish he had. There are masterpiece elements in "Forgiveness" that lie to some degree inert on the screen because of the under-developed story.
Super Reviewer
-
- Rudina: At least in prison, you would be safe.
-
- Nik: Remember that kid that stayed inside for six years?
-
- Rudina: Is that what you're wearing?
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for The Forgiveness of Blood yet.
Latest News on The Forgiveness of Blood
February 23, 2012:
Critics Consensus: Act of Valor Misses the MarkThe 84th Annual Academy Awards are Sunday, so here's your last chance to check out the nominees...
What's Hot On RT
Bradley Cooper's Best Movies
Fast & Furious 6 is Certified Fresh
Fast & Furious cars gallery
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- Critics Consensus: Fast & Furious 6 is Certified Fresh 33
- Red Carpet Photos with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Gina Carano and More 0
- Video: The Hangover Part III Cast Interviews 0
- Total Recall: Bradley Cooper's Best Movies 40
- Parental Guidance: Epic and Beautiful Creatures 2
- Comic Book Movies You Can Watch Online 9
- In Pictures: The Cars of Fast & Furious 0
Top Headlines
-
Evan Peters Joins X-Men: Days of Future Past
0
-
Toby Jones Talks Captain America: The Winter Soldier
1
-
The Poltergeist Reboot May Actually Be a Sequel
10
-
Will Forte Promises MacGruber 2
1
-
Universal Plans Timecop Reboot
2
-
Return of the Jedi Turns 30
1
-
Vin Diesel Says Fast & Furious 7 Will Take Place in L.A.
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Foreign Titles
- Forgiveness of Blood, The (AU)
