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The Forgiven

The Forgiven

Thriller · Drama · 2018

After the end of Apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu meets with a brutal murderer seeking redemption.

Movie details

The Forgiven

“Racist. Prisoner. Murderer. Child of God.”

2018 Thriller · Drama 1h 55m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

After the end of Apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu meets with a brutal murderer seeking redemption.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Forgiven?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Heather bumps into Carla, having not spoken to her in years, and presents her with a very unexpected proposition that could change both of their lives forever.

Tyler Perry's Duplicity

Tyler Perry's Duplicity

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High-powered attorney Marley faces her most personal case yet when she is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the murder of her best friend Fela’s husband. With the help of her boyfriend – a former cop turned private investigator – Marley’s search for what really happened leads her down a treacherous maze of deception and betrayal.

The Good Neighbor

The Good Neighbor

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A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.

A Dry White Season

A Dry White Season

Drama · 1989

During the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white school teacher's life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.

House by the River

House by the River

Thriller · 1950

Wealthy writer Stephen Byrne tries to seduce the family maid, but when she resists, he kills her. Long jealous of his brother John, Stephen does his best to pin the blame for the murder on his sibling. Also affected by Stephen's arrogant dementia is his long-suffering wife Marjorie.

A Good Woman Is Hard to Find

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The recently widowed mother of two, Sarah, is desperate to know who murdered her husband in front of her young son, rendering him mute. Coerced into helping a low-life drug dealer stash narcotics stolen from the local Mr. Big, she's forced into taking drastic action to protect her children, evolving from downtrodden submissive to take-charge vigilante.

Blood Ties

Blood Ties

Thriller · 2013

Two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s.

Barron's Cove

Barron's Cove

Crime · 2025

When his young son is viciously murdered by a classmate, a grieving father with a history of violence kidnaps the child responsible, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by a powerful politician -- the father of the kidnapped boy.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Roland Joffé

Written by

Roland Joffé · Michael Ashton

Forest Whitaker

Forest Whitaker

Desmond Tutu

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

Piet Blomfeld

Jeff Gum

Jeff Gum

Francois Schmidt

Debbie Sherman

Debbie Sherman

Linda Coetzee

Terry Norton

Terry Norton

Lavinia

Dominika Jablonska

Dominika Jablonska

Forensic Clerk

Rob Gough

Rob Gough

Howard Varney

Court is in session

Put The Forgiven on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.