Last Updated on October 18, 2024 by
Exhibiting Forgiveness is a 2024 Drama Movie written and directed by Titus Kaphar. It stars André Holland, John Earl Jelks, and Andra Day and was released on October 18, 2024. The film has a runtime of 1 hour 57 minutes.
This movie is based on one of the biggest challenges people face in their lives—being able to forgive someone who has offended them in one way or another. The movie presents the passionate and tragic story of a family who has been suffering from addiction and abuse over the years and raises the question of whether the sufferings of the members of a family entitle them to forgive the offender. If forgiveness is possible, the movie asks: how far can it go?
The film focuses on two characters: La’Ron and his son Tarrell whose relationship seems strained and unbalanced. La’Ron used to be addicted to drugs and was a wife-beater in the past and because of this, he destroyed his family. Yet, years later, La’Ron wants to be a part of his son’s life and ask for forgiveness. But for Tarrell, this is not something that he could do in a snap. The trauma is still vivid, and the movie portrays how he struggles to grasp whether he can forgive his father or if he even should.
The character of La’Ron is portrayed by John Earl Jelks and when we first encounter the character, he is a homeless man. He is homeless, he roams the streets searching for scraps to eat and also helps wash cars for a fee near a liquor store. La’Ron’s existence has not been easy, one can see in his appearance that he is not a man who has been shielded from life’s harshest realities. However, we can still empathize with him to a certain extent because he attempts to be virtuous – for instance, protecting a shop owner from being mugged. His performance is strong, even though most of the change – from a shattered figure to a man trying to rebuild his life – is conveyed through discussions with others and not on camera.
André Holland portrays the main character, Tarrell. It appears that Tarrell has the life of his dreams now. He is the artist who is beginning to get his work appreciated, his art exhibitions are successful and he is a family man who is married to a singer named Aisha portrayed by Andra Day and they have a young son, Jermaine. However, the problem lies deep within; Tarrell is a loving husband and father and seems to lead a normal life. However, deep down, Tarrell is still a troubled man with nightmares from his experiences in prison.
It is in Tarrell’s nightmares that one can see him suffering from a concealed pain. He has violent dreams that he fights in his sleep, and sometimes he wakes up throwing punches at the wall. He attempts to sidestep the conversations, although they remind him of his childhood, particularly his father, La’Ron. This is especially evoked when Tarrell is asked by his mother, Joyce (depicted by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) to assist her in relocating from their old house. This leads to a major shift in the story: Tarrell’s father, La’Ron, comes back.
Now, La’Ron has cleaned up. His current situation is living in a sober living environment, going to support group meetings, and trying to abstain from alcohol. He claims that he wants to mend the broken relationship with his family but Tarrell simply turns a blind eye to him. La’Ron has offended him time and again, and Tarrell does not think that he deserves to be forgiven. However despite all this, Joyce, Tarrell’s mother is depicted as someone capable of forgiving. She implores Tarrell to at least hear his dad out and give him a chance to tell his side of the story.
This leads to several emotionally charged scenes such as the scenes where Tarrell and his mother, wife, and father get into a heated argument. Aisha empathizes with Tarrell when he says he does not know what to do next, although she is surprised when she discovers that Tarrell’s father is alive only in his imagination he told Aisha that La’Ron is dead and he will only meet him “in a casket”. In addition, Joyce appears to be more stringent with their stand. She believes that it is appropriate to forgive La’Ron because of sparing kinship and also due to her religious principles regarding forgiveness. Moreover, Tarrell does not believe in these values any longer, which makes furthering his education even more difficult for him.
The focus of the movie is in the dialogue between the two main characters – Tarrell and La’Ron. Then there is this scene where La’Ron takes Tarrell to the basement where he has been sleeping and shares his side of the story with his son. La’Ron gives an account of the circumstances that saw him become a drug addict and accepts that he committed heinous actions. But he also shares with Tarrell more about himself and reveals that he had a very bad father figure. La’Ron’s father was abusive as well and once pulled a gun on his wife, and even drew a gun pointing it at La’Ron when the latter decided to become a father. Organized by La’Ron, specifically in the given scene, he mentions these things in such a nonchalant manner that leaves Tarrell in awe. Tarrell failed to understand why La’Ron seems to dismiss what his father did as just a man with personal issues when those acts were so detrimental.
What is noticeable throughout the whole movie is that there are memories of Tarrell’s childhood. We observe young Tarrell (Ian Foreman) being compelled to work with his father beyond normal operations hours. There is the scene when Tarrell sees how his father treats his mother, Joyce, maliciously, which adds more understanding of why Tarrell has so much hate and suffering inside. For him, this is not a simple issue of poor father-son relations; it is a question of open emotional pain emerging from the unresolved past.
This internal conflict is present throughout the story as a crucial element that affects Tarrell. He realizes that his father is no longer the same person and is aware of this. He realizes that La’Ron wants to change for the better and he knows some of the factors that made La’Ron behave as he did. However, the reader is left with Tarrell still fuming and confused about what has just happened. He asked if La’Ron’s growth as a human being is enough to make up for the damage and loss he inflicted.
Is there a chance that Tarrell will be able to forgive his father one day? That is the question posed in the context of the movie, and it is a question that cannot be answered with a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. These dialogues, moods, and instances of flashbacks all culminate in this choice, which is rather challenging. André Holland does an outstanding job portraying Tarrell and his nuanced, emotional portrayal is captivating. Large portions of the film depict him just listening and contemplating what his father says as well as his thoughts about it, with little to no dialogue. This internal conflict is what makes the movie realistic and heart-wrenching.
Unlike ‘Exercising Forgiveness’, which does not attempt to preach about the subject of forgiveness to make it look easy. It portrays how families can be entangled, and even destructive, particularly when they are affected by substance dependency and maltreatment. This is a film that explores complex subjects and gives the viewers no clear answers on the notion of forgiveness and whether certain actions can or should be forgiven in the first place.
Exhibiting Forgiveness 2024 Parents Guide Age Rating
Exhibiting Forgiveness is rated R by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for language and brief drug material.
Violence: This is evident in the scenes that depict the relationship between La’Ron and his family through flashback scenes of emotional abuse. Tarrell recalled certain occasions where his father shouted at him and his mother which made them feel irritable but no scenes of physical abuse were demonstrated. La’Ron describes a traumatic childhood incident where his father threatened them with a firearm and pointed the weapon at his mother and himself. It is narrated as having occurred, but the show does not depict its occurrence which could be disturbing to sensitive viewers of violence. Tarrell suffers from intense nightmares mainly as a result of childhood trauma that has not been dealt with. There is one instance in the movie where he wakes up and in anger punches a wall and this scene is rather short with no deep contact demonstrated.
Language: Some intense language is to be expected, including what can be described as ‘foul language’ or the use of the ‘F-word.’ However, the use of bad words is not overused and is only used in scenes when characters want to show their anger or suffering. Some characters tend to shout during emotionally charged conversations and sometimes scream or say mean things, although aggression is not an overlying theme.
Substance Use: Substance abuse is a prominent theme in the movie given it is a major aspect of the protagonist, La’Ron’s life, and his interactions with family members. However, the film avoids graphic depictions of drug use: While describing his experiences with the substance, La’Ron shares how the drug impacted his domestic sphere. He tells about the way he got addicted and also the way this issue compromised his fatherhood. While there are no scenes portraying him using drugs, intense sequences reveal the effect of the substance on his life. La’Ron is depicted struggling to come to terms with his alcoholism. He attends support meetings and tries to gain his job back; his character gives hope and shows that it is possible to be accepted despite the offense he committed.
Sexual Content: Tarrell and his wife, Aisha, are shown to be loving and supportive toward each other. They kiss and show affection in a way that reflects their strong relationship, but it is not sexual. The film focuses more on family dynamics—especially the father-son relationship than on romantic or sexual content.
