The Forgiveness of Blood

Joshua Marston’s first film since Maria Full of Grace, The Forgiveness of Blood details the turmoil that ensues after the patriarch of an Albanian family participates in the murder of a rival – with the death triggering a blood feud that forces said patriarch to go into hiding and leaves his family, including a scrappy teenage son (Tristan Halilaj’s Nik), trapped inside their own home. Before the plot kicks in, however, Marston is initially concerned with exploring and establishing the flavor of this small Albanian town – with the emphasis primarily placed on the subdued day-to-day exploits of the various characters. It’s relatively interesting stuff that’s heightened by Marston’s naturalistic style and the uniformly strong performances, although there inevitably does reach a point at which the pervasive lack of context starts to become something of a problem. The film does begin to show some promise once the inherently fascinating premise kicks in, however, as Marston does a nice job of offering up an eye-opening look into the workings of a fairly backwards culture. By that same token, though, the nature of the setup ensures that The Forgiveness of Blood boasts a distressingly uneventful midsection that revolves entirely around the central characters’ efforts at passing time in their newfound prison – with the sporadic inclusion of a few admittedly engaging sequences (eg the eldest daughter encounters one of the rival’s hot-tempered family members) occasionally lifting the proceedings out of its dull doldrums. It’s the pervasive lack of drama that ultimately sinks The Forgiveness of Blood, as it becomes harder and harder to work up any sympathy for or interest in the protagonists’ plight – with the fairly sudden ending leaving too many questions unanswered.

** out of ****