Exhibiting Forgiveness
Exhibiting Forgiveness
A Black artist on the path to success is derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father, a recovering addict desperate to reconcile. Together, they struggle and learn that forgetting might be a greater challenge than forgiving.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 2, 2025
I was really taken aback by the performances in this—André Holland in particular. He stars as an artist that harbors resentment towards his father because of his treatment as an adolescent and treatment of his mother. [full Review] But as circumstances bring his father back into his life, he’s challenged with finding forgiveness in his heart now that his mother (Aujanue Ellis-Taylor) has accepted him back into her life. This easily could have veered into melodrama, but the performances here are all perfectly measured. Forgiving family members (parents in particular) is incredibly hard. Add in that when you have children of your own and you realize there are zero scenarios where you would ever hurt your own child, and it makes it that much harder to forgive. One of my favorites of Sundance this year and I love the title. And major bonus points for Andrea Day singing a few bars here and there, throughout.