Exhibiting Forgiveness
Tarrell (André Holland, "Moonlight") is busy at work painting the trauma of his youth when his agent Janine (Jamie Ray Newman) arrives wanting to celebrate the great review his latest show just received. She's also pushing him to immediately follow that with another one, and when a visit to his mother, Joyce (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, "Origin," 2023's "The Color Purple"), reunites him with the father, La'Ron (John Earl Jelks), he does not want to see, the healing nature of art will be on display in that new show, "Exhibiting Forgiveness."
Laura's Review: B
Writer/director Titus Kaphar's semi-autobiographical feature directorial debut may be identifiable as the work of a first time filmmaker with its overly earnest tone and unnecessary exposition, but he's assembled a fine cast supported by his own arresting artwork. This is a tale of a son determined to be a better father to his own son than his father was to him, but his spiritual mother's determination for him to find forgiveness opens his eyes to generational abuse.
Kaphar begins with a James Baldwin quote - 'If the relationship of father to son could really be reduced to biology, the whole earth would blaze with the glory of fathers and sons' - before introducing us to an old man with wild salt and pepper hair and a bushy beard cleaning a car outside of a convenience store. He then intercedes in the store's robbery, but after hitting the thief with a bat, he doesn't see the man come after him from behind and is severely beaten. The old man will make his way to a home where he is threatened via shotgun until its owner, Michael (G.L. McQueary), recognizes his brother. But despite Michael's compassion, his wife refuses to let the man who'd stolen from them remain in their house, and so Michael brings La'Ron to a tough love rehab where he's given a room in a basement.
In a modern, suburban household, Tarrell's musician wife Aisha (Andra Day, "The United States vs. Billie Holiday") awakens him after he's stopped breathing in his sleep, the biological result of the trauma he reflects in his paintings. Those large canvas artworks draw us in, vivid pictures of humble homes, black boys and flaming lawn mowers emboldened with turquoise and shocking pink. Tarrell will leave his bed in the middle of the night to change the one Janine declared didn't need another brushstroke, a painting of three boys preparing to jump over a metal railing, obscuring two of them with vivid strokes of white. After calling Mama Joyce to make sure that's she's packing (to come live with them? It is not made clear), the two will set off with their son Jermaine (Daniel Berrier) to her home in the city. She surprises them with her bright blue hair and the reunion is joyful, but Tarrell is dismayed that not a single thing is boxed. He'll be furious when La'Ron arrives, mom insisting 'you have to forgive to be forgiven,' but when Aisha cautions that he has to deal with his dad or it will follow them home ('some things can't be worked out on canvas'), La'Ron visits his father in his basement room, sets up a video camera and invites him to talk.
One of Titus Kaphar's best conceits is introducing the young Tarrell (Ian Foreman, TV's 'Let the Right One In') rolling his future paintings into place in front of the scenes they portray as the artist looks on, director of photography Lachlan Milne ("Minari") composing his frames like the paintings. As Tarrell records La'Ron, he will describe a horrible scene from his own youth, then describe his abusive father as a 'good man,' sending us into a flashback where he thinks he is toughening up his son by showing no compassion, senselessly working the boy after he's stepped on a nail. A call from Tarrell's half brother Quentin (Matthew Elam, "The Many Saints of Newark") will shed light on Joyce's actions and mama would be proud of what her son does during the opening reception for his Exhibiting Forgiveness show, a moving moment.
The ensemble composed of both known and lesser known actors meshes perfectly, Holland's journey from pain and anger to acceptance and forgiveness following a true and rocky road. Jelks, who works mostly in TV, portrays a greater contrast between past and present, the change in the man represented in those opening moments. As an actress, it appears Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor can do no wrong, her performance here another marvel, her vivacious Joyce immediately endearing. Jherek Bischoff's low key jazz score is just right, augmented by the music Day's Aisha is working on, culminating in potential best song contender, 'Bricks.'
Kaphar's Exhibiting Forgiveness art show is on display at Gagosian Beverly Hills through November 2, 2024. The film built around it is its artistic companion piece.
Robin's Review: B-
Roadside Attractions releases "Exhibiting Forgiveness" in theaters on 10/18/24.
