Forgiven

Two men from wildly different stations in life find their paths crossing in unexpected ways in this independent drama written and directed by actor Paul Fitzgerald. Peter Miles (Fitzgerald) is the district attorney in a small Southern town, where he's developed a reputation as a hard-liner against crime, a proudly conservative Christian, and a friend of fellow Republicans. Just as Miles is preparing to announce his candidacy for a Senate seat, a name from his past reappears -- Ronald Bradler (Russell Hornsby). Bradler is an African-American ex-con who was sent to death row on dubious evidence in a case prosecuted by Miles; a last-minute pardon by the governor after a new review of the evidence saved his life, but while Bradler is now a free man, he's still burdened by his past. Bradler finds it all but impossible to get a job or lead a quiet life after he returns to society, but soon Miles gets a taste of the same treatment when some unflattering secrets from his past become public. Forgiven received its world premiere at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.