This oddly sexy thriller flatters to deceive in every way but one.
This latest offering from John Michael McDonagh is an unusual turn for the man that treated us with such great dark comedies as The Guard and Calvary; a director that is skilled with finding humour in the bleakest of situations. The Forgiven is cut from a different cloth though, but not as much as one would think. Here we have a film that paints itself with the tag of being a suave and sexy sophisticated thriller set in a vibrant mythical land, with a couple of acting stalwarts leading the way. It’s a strange film to watch because it feels largely unsure of what it actually wants to be, throwing comedic curveballs at us and delving into a world of sex, drugs, and alcohol. What even is this film? It’s only slightly interesting enough to allow us to find out.
What it does have going for it is two demanding performances from its leads – which really are the best aspects in a myriad of questionable decisions. Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain establish themselves early on as the film’s shining lights; not only is their venomous relationship key to the film’s dynamic, but the moment they become separated is where they really begin to take flight. Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Lawrence Osborne, The Forgiven follows David (Fiennes), a stereotypical and cynical Brit with more money than sense and a chip on his shoulder as big as the Sahara. Right by his side is Jo (Chastain), his younger disapproving trophy wife who despised this man she calls her husband. While the two are driving to a party at a grand villa in Morocco, the wealthy couple accidentally kills a young Moroccan man while intoxicated, which sets the wheels in motion for the rest of the film.
The hosts of the party are Richard and Dally (Matt Smith and Caleb Landry Jones), an eccentric gay couple who live an exuberant lifestyle in an illustrious mansion in the middle of the desert, and are soon dragged into the mess that their careless friends have found themselves in. It turns out that this fresh corpse was a somebody; the son of a respected Nomad (Abdellah Taheri) from across the desert who wants reparations for his son’s premature death, deciding to take David back to his home and give him the wake-up call he has needed his entire life, and his son a worthy burial. It is now that the performances from Fiennes and Chastain begin to flourish, left to their own devices and finally alone with their thoughts, their inner journeys wander down very different paths.
There are two different stories taking place for most of the film. On one side is a story of redemption (the road to perdition if you like) into the mountains with the allure of potential atonement. This is the story that keeps us interested because of its unknown, we are in David’s shoes; clueless about what the road holds, this is the thriller that was promised to us. And on the other hand, we have a story about lust and a rather uninteresting one that involves Jo and her sexual desire for a younger, more appealing man (Tom Day). An adulterous relationship you say. We’ve seen it all before, and this wasn’t exactly experimentation of new ground. It is just a load of incessant ramblings involving a group of people who think they know everything, fuelled by a white class superiority complex.
When all these ingredients are mixed, however, like the alcohol and drug concoctions that are seemingly ever-present at this villa, it produces an interesting cultural contrast. It is purposefully presented this way; the traditions of a conventional life compared to the destructive and carefree nature of modern-day imperfections: the fireworks against the nomads, this white “upper-class” society of miscreants set against a backdrop of historical importance – it’s a riot.
The element of mystery should be an important angle for the film to go down, but it is nowhere to be seen – the plot just becomes more and more obvious as the film trundles along. It certainly lacks muster – a mystical land such as this isn’t always enough to electrify it you know. Everything is just a bit strange, with its misguided use of comedy that not only didn’t feel right, but it just wasn’t funny, and there really isn’t much worse than that.
What even is this film, is it a stylish thriller? No, because it was largely uninteresting. Is it a dark comedy? That’s a question that has already been cleared up. Ahh, how about an erotic drama about lust and love? Even then it is held back by very short reigns. It is more like a film about growth, self-discovery, and even respect; aspects that hit David like a tonne of bricks, with his character arc being the most effective aspect of the whole film. If you’re able to stomach a slow burner where not much happens apart from decent acting and highlighted life lessons, then The Forgiven might just be the film for you.
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