X
  • 2012
  • Not Rated
  • Sundance Selects
  • 1 h 49 m
  • 2012
  • Not Rated
  • Sundance Selects
  • 1 h 49 m

Summary Nik is a carefree teenager in a small town with a crush on 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 tak...

Written By: Joshua Marston

  • 2012
  • Not Rated
  • Sundance Selects
  • 1 h 49 m
  • 2012
  • Not Rated
  • Sundance Selects
  • 1 h 49 m

The Forgiveness of Blood

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 24 Critic Reviews
73
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings
6.6
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Nik is a carefree teenager in a small town with a crush on 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 tak...

Written By: Joshua Marston

Where to Watch

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 24 Critic Reviews
73
88% Positive
21 Reviews
13% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 24 Critic Reviews
73
88% Positive
21 Reviews
13% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
88
Mar 8, 2012
It's a thriller that feels like a documentary.
By Michael O'Sullivan FULL REVIEW
83
Feb 24, 2012
My favorite character is not Nik but his 15-year-old sister, Rudina (Sindi Lacej), who takes over her father's bread delivery route in his rickety wagon and makes a go of it against all odds. Her pluck seems both Old World and New World.
By Peter Rainer FULL REVIEW
80
Feb 23, 2012
There is so much to admire in Joshua Marston's The Forgiveness of Blood that it's easy to overlook the miracle at its center: Marston's artistic idealism.
By Elizabeth Weitzman FULL REVIEW
75
Mar 15, 2012
It never exactly lights you on fire, but you always believe it.
By Shawn Levy FULL REVIEW
75
Feb 24, 2012
Richly photographed by Rob Hardy (who gave Red Riding: 1974 its almost surreal bleakness), this meticulously researched story (Marston spent a month interviewing families trapped in these vendettas) reveals a culture dominated by male pride and patriarchal selfishness.
By Jeannette Catsoulis FULL REVIEW
67
Feb 22, 2012
Just as Marston's scrupulous attention to local custom and devotion to social realism recall the work of John Sayles (Lone Star), his occasionally enervating style also recalls Sayles at his worst.
By Scott Tobias FULL REVIEW
50
Feb 17, 2012
The film wisely avoids giving its material a large-scale epic quality it can't sustain, but it also results in a project that lacks the complexity to register as more than a handsome little sketch.
By Andrew Schenker FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings
6.6
80% Positive
4 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
20% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings
6.6
80% Positive
4 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
20% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

 View All
Production Company Sundance Selects, Fandango, Artists Public Domain, Cinereach, Lissus Media, Journeyman Pictures, Phoenix Film Investments, Portobello Pictures
Release Date Feb 24, 2012
Duration 1 h 49 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
View All Details

Awards

Berlin International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Chicago International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Hamptons International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations

Related Movies

Citizen Kane

100
Universal Acclaim

Dekalog (1988)

100
Universal Acclaim

Boyhood

100
Universal Acclaim

Lawrence of Arabia (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

Casablanca

100
Universal Acclaim

Three Colors: Red

100
Universal Acclaim

The Conformist

100
Universal Acclaim

The Leopard (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

Tokyo Story

100
Universal Acclaim

The Godfather

100
Universal Acclaim

Notorious

100
Universal Acclaim

Fanny and Alexander (re-release)

100
Universal Acclaim

Touch of Evil

99
Universal Acclaim

Army of Shadows

99
Universal Acclaim

City Lights

99
Universal Acclaim

Moonlight

99
Universal Acclaim

Intolerance

99
Universal Acclaim

The Rules of the Game

99
Universal Acclaim

Seven Samurai

98
Universal Acclaim

The Wild Bunch

98
Universal Acclaim

Au hasard Balthazar

98
Universal Acclaim

Pépé le Moko (re-release)

98
Universal Acclaim

Related News

The 20 Best Movies Based on TV Shows

The 20 Best Movies Based on TV Shows

Jason Dietz

With the arrival of The Fall Guy in theaters, we look back at the best TV-to-movie adaptations in film history.

  • movie
The 15 Worst Movies Based on TV Shows

The 15 Worst Movies Based on TV Shows

Jason Dietz

Hollywood continually attempts to bring TV shows to the big screen--and it often turns out poorly. We look at the 15 absolute worst TV-to-film adaptations so far.

  • movie
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

  • movie
2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find a schedule of release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

  • movie
May 2024 Movie Preview

May 2024 Movie Preview

Keith Kimbell

Get a look at the most notable movies debuting in May, including a Mad Max prequel, a Planet of the Apes sequel, and a promising Ryan Gosling-led action-comedy.

  • movie