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Tristan Halilaj, Sindi Lacej, Refet Abazi, Ilire Vinca Celaj, Çun Lajçi ... see more see more... , Zana Hasaj , Erjon Mani , Luan Jaha , Veton Osmani , Selman Lokaj , Kol Zefi , Esmeralda Gjonlulaj , Elsajed Tallalli , Ibrahim Ymeri , Servete Haxhija , Arlind Lleshi , Alfred Lisi , Edmond Pepkolaj , Geg Zefi , Pjeter Noshi , Isuf Duraj , Sabri Haxhija , Ruzhdi Pirnaq , Xhevdet Shima , Gjin Basha , Arben Buhaj , Injac Marku , Haxhi Brati , Eduard Beqiri , Fatmir Shabaj

The powerful and richly textured second feature from Joshua Marston focuses on an Albanian family caught up in a blood feud. Nik (Tristan Halilaj) is a carefree teenager in a small town with a crush o... read more read more...n the school beauty and ambitions to start his own internet café. His world is suddenly up-ended when his father and uncle become entangled in a land dispute that leaves a fellow villager murdered. According to a centuries-old code of law, this entitles the dead man's family to take the life of a male from Nik's family as retribution. His uncle in jail and his father in hiding, Nik is the prime target and confined to the home while his younger sister Rudina (Sindi Laçej) is forced to leave school and take over their father's business. -- (C) IFC

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74% liked it

966 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

51 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 49 min.

Directed by: Joshua Marston

Release Date: February 24, 2012

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Stats: 21 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (21)

  • 366weirdmovies
    April 6, 2012
    366weirdmovies
    An Albanian family is imprisoned in their home in accordance with ancient oral law (the "Kanun") after a killing sparks a blood feud with a rival clan. The Kanun itself, a strange rural anachronism in an age of cell phones and video games, is by far the most compelling character ... read morein this exotic but slow-moving drama.
  • dunmyer
    March 18, 2012
    dunmyer
    I was enthralled by Joshua Marston's first feature film, "Maria Full of Grace" (2004). So I was very excited to see that he had finally made a second film. (He directed a lot of television during the intervening years.)

    But "The Forgiveness of Blood," despite having some wond... read moreerful aspects, is not going to be described by anyone as enthralling. It is set in present-day Albania. (Marston's ability to cross cultures continues to amaze.) A feud develops between two families, leading to a murder. The man who commits the murder disappears, and his wife and children have to go into seclusion.

    The two teenagers in the family, magnificently played by two young Albanian actors, are the center of the film. We get to experience the ordeal for the most part through these teenagers' eyes, a boy and a girl. I felt like I learned a lot about Balkan culture, and I did feel emotionally engaged with the characters.

    But the story just does not have enough content. There aren't enough dramatic elements. Not enough happens. It feels to me that Marston needed to spend more time developing the story before starting the film shoot. I wish he had. There are masterpiece elements in "Forgiveness" that lie to some degree inert on the screen because of the under-developed story.
  • danieljparsons
    October 16, 2011
    danieljparsons
    Review soon
  • fb645492669
    January 16, 2012
    fb645492669
    The 2nd feature from the director of the acclaimed Maria Full of Grace and also serves as the co-writer of the script. Very impressive as the cast were made up entirely of local non professional actors. In a rural and underveloped Albanian town, a pair of teenaged siblings' live... read mores are forever changed by ancient cultural customs when their father is accused of a crime over territorial rights. Seemingly modern since the teens are flirting with pics on facebook on their pay as you go cell phones, it is also mind boggling to see what we Westerners deem as normal coming of age rites, and eventually young lives, stifled by ancient customs bound by honor to the family. Dark and intense, it is also suspenseful since the plot unfolds mainly through the young male lead's point of view. He and his sister are just as in the dark as we are on how deep those ancient rural customs are and it's effects on generations of a particular family. A fresh and unique take on generational conflicts.

View All The Forgiveness of Blood Reviews

Critic Reviews

Rick Groen
March 30, 2012
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

We don't see any blood, or much forgiveness either, but we do witness something far more resonant - a young generation caught between the rock of tradition and the hard place of modernity. Full Review

Peter Howell
March 30, 2012
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

A heartbreaking Albanian film that counts the toll a family feud takes on all involved. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
March 23, 2012
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

The leads -- both non-actors -- hit sharp, natural notes. Full Review

Tom Long
March 23, 2012
Tom Long, Detroit News

Tradition can be dangerous as well as dumb. "The Forgiveness of Blood" is about a modern kid in an old-world society. It's a terrible fit. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
March 9, 2012
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

It's a thriller that feels like a documentary. Full Review

Walter V. Addiego
March 8, 2012
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

Marston artfully uses handheld cameras and natural light and has a nice eye for compositions. Full Review

Steven Rea
March 8, 2012
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A satisfying, psychologically complex tale of a teenager caught in a blood feud in the craggy countryside of Albania. Full Review

Ty Burr
March 8, 2012
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

"The Forgiveness of Blood'' works as a subtle but insistent metaphor for a modern generation trapped by the shibboleths of their elders. Full Review

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
March 8, 2012
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, Chicago Reader

It's intelligent, well-intentioned, and largely inert. Full Review

Roger Ebert
March 8, 2012
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

What seems missing is a good notion of how this Albanian society functions on a daily basis. Surely a family cannot live under house arrest forever? Full Review

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Facts

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    • Rudina: At least in prison, you would be safe.
    • Nik: Remember that kid that stayed inside for six years?
    • Rudina: Is that what you're wearing?
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