The Forgiveness of Blood

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  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.

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  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.

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  October 16, 2011

  danieljparsons

  Review soon

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  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.

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• The Forgiveness Of Blood