For a film that deals with such lofty subjects as crime and punishment, forgiveness or perhaps the lack of it John Michael McDonagh's "The Forgiven" is a lot less profound and certainly not as deep as it might have been or probably thinks it is. On the other hand, it's beautifully filmed, very well directed and with superb performances from its first-rate cast. It also deals with a subject not usually tackled in the cinema; the clash of cultures in contemporary society, in this case between Western hedonists and the Muslim faith.
A drunken driver, (Ralph Fiennes), travelling with his wife, (Jessica Chastain), to a house party in Morocco hits a young Muslim boy and kills him. It's a horrible accident but the man doesn't initially appear to have any remorse and continues onto the party, bringing the body with him. The local police are informed, they agree it was an accident and the boy's father is traced. However, when he comes to collect the body he insists Fiennes return with him for the burial, which he does, leaving Chastain and their dissolute friends to continue with the party.
You might even describe this picture as darkly comic. There are very few people on the screen with whom you can empathise, (the few you can empathise with are Muslims). The twist, when it comes, is that Fiennes is the most moral character in the picture, his greatest 'sin' is simply that he's an alcoholic and the film does leave a sour aftertaste but Fiennes, Chastain, Christopher Abbot as one of the guests and Ismael Kanater as the dead boy's father are so good it's impossible to take your eyes from the screen and there is a cold brilliance to the film. I doubt if it will draw crowds but it's definitely intelligent and certainly it's worth seeing.
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