‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ seeks to ask one question, “What do you do when your parents are the source of your pain?”
‘Tarrell Rodin’(André Holland) is a successful painter who struggles with a dark past of patriarchal violence which tortures him in the form of physically wrenching nightmares. The kind of nightmares that bring on such anxiety that he stops breathing. He is frustrated with his fragmented memory which prohibits him from dealing with his tortured childhood.
For 15 years he has tried to paint away his pain but as time passes it no longer helps him process his trauma. All of this comes to bear when his father shows up while trying to move his mom out of her house. She insists ‘La Ron’(John Earl Jelks) has changed and ‘Tarrell’ should forgive him. As the title suggests, this is the theme of the movie. The push and pull of being compelled to forgive an abuser when you can’t forget the abuse.
TWO DADS. A portion of the movie follows ‘Tarrell’s’ father. In the opening scene he is depicted as homeless, wandering the streets cleaning people’s cars. When a store owner who is sympathetic to his situation is attacked, he unsuccessfully attempts to thwart the robbery. This chain of events lead him into the main plot.
Tarrell confronts LaRon.
He finds a place to live but with strict rules that include daily trips to church. He has an apparent spiritual awakening and makes his way back to ‘Joyce’(Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), his ex-wife and ‘Tarrell’s’ mother, seeking to reconcile. Tarrell is not having it. He refuses any attempts to reconcile with ‘La Ron’. His mother tries to appeal to him on Biblical grounds but he is adamant.
The juxtaposition of his two selves is subtle but significant. On the one hand there is the chaos and dysfunction as a son with Joyce and La Ron. Then there’s the warmth between him, his son Jermaine(Daniel Michael Barriere) and his wife ‘Aisha’(Andra Day). Apparently, she put her music career on hold so he could pursue his art career. As his career levels off, he reassures her this is her “time” and she begins to dive into her music.
Watching this African-American, art-centered family support each other is not typical in film. Usually one is an artist and the spouse begrudgingly goes along with their artistic pursuits. ‘Tarrell’and ‘Aisha’ are a loving couple that only seem to experience tension in regards to his mom and dad.
Tarrell reads to Jermaine.
ADULTIFIED. Right around the second act we are presented with a flashback. There is no superimposed date to indicate a timeframe. The audience has to figure it out on their own. This is the abstract nature of the film. The opening credits are similar. They are somewhat illegible and even hidden.
A young ‘Tarrell’(Ian Foreman) works with his father collecting the urban sludge that seems to accumulate in too many cities. This was hard to watch. ‘LaRon’ is seen to be verbally and physically abusive. At one point the camera focuses on a piece of wood with a nail protruding from it. When ‘Tarrell’ steps on it and impales his foot, ‘LaRon’ continues his barrage of abuse. No ER or even a modicum of first-aid. He washes it off with a hose while he continues to berate him about not “babying” him.
TOO REAL. This is a great independent film that is intensely revelatory. It challenges some core beliefs within the African-American community. Forgiveness may be divine but there is still healing to be done in the lives of those impacted by someone in the throes of addiction.
Most of us can attest to how beyond difficult it is to live as a Black man in America. ‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ clearly shows the audience how internalizing that struggle can have generational consequences. It’s not fun entertainment but will definitely transport you into an inconceivable reality.
